The Thrill of the Chase
by Minka
Summary: Legolas leads a double life: in one, he’s the lovable prince of Mirkwood; the other, he’s a deadly assassin up for hire. Yet when he meets a young human his worlds collide, throwing both he and the ones he loves into a deadly game of cat and mouse. AL
1. Penalty of Lust

Title: The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Rating: Strong R  
  
Summary: Legolas leads a double life: in one, he's the lovable prince of Mirkwood; the other, he's a deadly assassin up for hire. Yet when he meets a young human his worlds collide, throwing both he and the ones he loves into a deadly game of cat and mouse. A/L  
  
Warnings: SLASH! Will be Aragorn and Legolas, but not for a LONG time! Well, I lie...but you will just have to wait and find out... Also, this will be rather violent (what story of mine isn't?) and there may be a few things in there that will gross people out.  
  
Author's Notes: All right, I know that starting up another story is the last thing that I should be doing at the moment, but I have LOTS of this written, and since, at the moment at least, I do not have the time to actually write, I may as well post this so that I don't fade from your recollection! So please forgive me for this, but I hope you enjoy it as well. Also for Ihni, who is patiently sitting here telling me to update something and sending me drool-worthy Pirates of the Caribbean clips...  
  
Story Explanations: I don't even recall when I started writing this, let alone why as it is not my usual thing, but it is here nonetheless - there is also a lot of it! Now keep in mind that it is and AU (Alternate Universe) and thus means that the characters are not the completely the same as the movie or book. I have taken certain aspects of the original characterizations and expanded upon them, turning them into what you see now. For instance, I have always loved the part in The Two Towers (book) where Legolas was a real smart-ass and made that comment about the hobbits growing wings and flying away - this I have taken and fashioned his character into having a lot more of an attitude. So please refrain from telling me that he would not say some of those things, as I am very well aware of that!  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter One  
  
Penalty of Lust  
  
*****  
  
There's another world inside of me that you may never see  
  
There are secrets in this life that I can't hide  
  
Somewhere in this darkness there's a life that I can't find  
  
Maybe it's too far away, or maybe I'm just blind.  
  
*****  
  
Pushing the swinging double doors open, Legolas walked into the crowed tavern. Almost immediately the place went quiet, all eyes fixated upon the being that had just entered the common room of 'The Wayward Star', the only inn within the town of Larnfield.  
  
Glancing around the crowded room, Legolas forced himself to ignore the glances that he was given while he searched face after face for the man that he was looking for. Finally seeing him at a back table playing cards with three other men, Legolas took a deep breath before stalking seductively over.  
  
Many times he had been told that the key was to be confident, demanding and yet desirable at the same time. Problem was, he had never put his teachings into action before this very moment, so, in all truth, he was hardly as collected as he appeared on the outside.  
  
As he walked, his head held high, he could feel the attention of the other patrons upon him, their eyes left free to roam over his practically see- through shirt and down his skin-tight breeches; neither leaving much up for the imagination to contrive. A sudden slap on his backside caught the Elf completely unawares and, whirling on the man, he only just had time to stop himself from carrying out his first initial thought.  
  
Smiling sweetly at the man instead of snapping his neck as he had first wanted to, Legolas forced himself to move on and keep his mind focused on the mission at hand.  
  
'Self-confidence' he told himself over and over again as he reached the table.  
  
Smiling enticingly, Legolas simply took hold of his targets shoulder and, crushing that bleating voice inside of him, straddled the man and the chair all before the man - Sard -could say anything against the action. Wrapping his arms around the man's neck, Legolas slid himself up further into the man's lap and rested his head in the spot near the man's shoulder and chest, pulling a loud moan from the straddled man. Almost instantly, he felt the old man react to his presence as well as his waist being circled by a pair of arms that, when the owner was in his youth, would have been exceptionally strong. The arms tightened even further, pulling the Elf taut against the man's chest and abdomen to the point of causing the Elf a great deal of discomfort and the want to hurl.  
  
A slight laugh went up about the table as each of the men looked their boss's new play thing over, while a mirroring sigh erupted about the room as the men that had watched Legolas walk in saw him settle down in the man's lap.  
  
"Good evening, my lords," Legolas addressed them all with a sly smile from his position pressed up against the now broadly grinning man. Looking about the table, Legolas could tell that none of them were even close to being of Lord Status, but still, flatter and flirt with them all and nothing will seem out of place. "You do not mind if I watch on, do you?"  
  
"Hello," the tall man to the left of Sard said brazenly as he assessed the Elf that had so boldly approached them. Obviously happy with what he saw, the man gave a slight bow of his head and a suggestive smile. "Of course we do not mind, you can even play if you so wish..." the underlying meaning was not lost to Legolas, who, not enjoying being in this situation at all, just smiled as best he could and tried to keep things professional.  
  
"What game are you playing?" he asked innocently, playing the part of the dim-witted whore that he was meant to be and acting as if he had not caught onto the leer in the man's eyes and tone.  
  
Despite his innocent and stupid show, Legolas sat there and quickly calculated the man's strengths and weaknesses. He was as tall as Legolas yet broader in the shoulders. He was the youngest there which reflected in the muscular chest and arms as well as the quicker response time that he seemed to possess; assessed through his eyes with a slight test of Legolas'. He carried both a sword and a crossbow and Legolas could clearly see five darts in his belt and three 'concealed' within his boot. The hang of his belt suggested that there were a dagger suspend off the back; not at all a good place to place one as it was too easy for an outsider to grab. This man may have been the quickest there, but he was definitely not the smartest.  
  
"Whist," the man directly behind the Elf said. Wanting to get a better look at the man that fell into his blind spot, Legolas let his hands slip to the shoulders of the man that he sat upon. Offering Sard an encouraging smile, Legolas lent backwards, his back arching gracefully and his head lolling back towards the table, creating a waterfall of loose golden hair. Sard's hands dropped, allowing the Elf the needed degree of movement, and instead came to rest upon Legolas' outer thighs, holding him securely place.  
  
Seeing the man that had spoken, Legolas quickly looked him over, appearing as innocent as possible.  
  
Two daggers; one concealed in each sleeve and possibly a third on his belt. By the way he sat, Legolas could tell that he was left handed, his sword making him tilt slightly to the left as it resided on his right hip. A man like him was bound to have at least one more dagger within his boot and maybe one strapped to the outside of his leg. The fact that his left eye was closed over due to a large scar that ran from his hairline to just above his mouth and that his right eye seemed slightly lazy meant that he was enable to shot or throw anything; his aim would be too far off to even attempt such a thing in a fight. He was more bulky then well built, his middle hanging slightly over his pants while his shoulders were bent from the years he had lived.  
  
Smiling shyly again as he slowly raised himself up, making a show of his graceful movements and the way that he was literally all over Sard, Legolas concluded that the man behind him was of little worry and that he would be able to defeat him in less then a minute if need be.  
  
Gently massaging Sard's shoulders, Legolas looked to the last man on his right and offered him an alluring wink.  
  
The brains of the situation. This man was dressed like a clerk, his tailored jacket lined with silk and buttoned in gold; secretly, Legolas could not see why the others had not yet bumped him off, for his clothes alone would be worth a fortune to the humans out here. He only had a dagger; rusted in appearance thus showing the rarity that it needed to be used, that was strapped to his side in what was a rather awkward position to draw.  
  
About a minute, Legolas told himself truthfully. One minute and they would all be down and not getting up again. But no, Sard was his only target; the trick was to get him alone which, seeing the way he reacted to Legolas' past show of leaning back in his lap would not be that hard at all.  
  
"Ah," Legolas sighed contently while pushing his head back into the man's chest, "Whist; far too many calculations and possible outcomes for me." Shrugging his shoulders, smirking and rolling his eyes, he fluttered his eyelashes a little before looking to the clerk. "Guess I shall just watch you fine lords playing."  
  
One of Sard's hands moved from his outer thigh to over his leg, the man's thumb drawing circles on the Elf's inner leg. "We would teach ya good if ya want t' try," he informed the Elf, his words slurred with intoxication as he bowed his head to suck at the Elf's throat.  
  
Tossing his head back so that Sard was allowed more exposed skin to explore, Legolas once again winked suggestively at the clerk of the group, seeing the man flush at the rather public display that the Elf and his boss were putting on.  
  
Having had enough himself, Legolas licked his lips and prepared to put his plan into action.  
  
Moaning slightly and squirming within the man's grasp, Legolas leaned over and whispered into the man's ear, his voice demanding and full of seduction. "Take me upstairs..." letting his tongue flick out and glide over the man's earlobe, he moved in even closer, "...now!"  
  
The effect was practically immediate. Sard's arms tightened around Legolas' waist as he stood up, forcing the Elf's legs to wrap around his hips in order to prevent his fall while Legolas had to pull himself up tighter to the human with his arms.  
  
"'Cuse us," Sard said as best as he could through his alcohol and lust filled mind.  
  
Without so much as another word of explanation, he started to stagger towards the steps, one arm around Legolas' hips, the other rubbing the Elf's backside as he walked.  
  
Resisting the urge to slap the hands away, Legolas helped guide the man as much as he could until finally, and with more then a little difficulty, they made it to an unoccupied room on the top floor.  
  
Kicking the door closed behind him, Sard carried Legolas over to the bed where he dropped him rather unceremoniously.  
  
Watching as the man hurried over and locked the door, Legolas started to ponder on the best way to go about this.  
  
A slight laugh came from the excited man as he made his way over to the sprawled out Elf, his face twisted into an expression of aroused glee. Practically throwing himself onto the bed, Sard slowly started to crawl up the soft structure, his fingers twisting into the cover as he kept his eyes locked onto the seemingly willing Elf. Reaching out, he grabbed Legolas by the hips and, with a vicious tug, pulled him over the surface and underneath him, the blankets scrunching up as the Elf slid along.  
  
Playing the part and whimpering slightly, Legolas felt the man's hands travel to the ties of his breeches and knew that he had to act *really* quickly.  
  
"Why so hasty, my lord?" he asked innocently while letting his long eyelashes flutter slightly. The only response that he received was a hard thrust against his leg as the man leaned down to lick at his throat.  
  
"Wait! Stop," Legolas tried to make his tone as pleading as possible, "I was hoping that...that we could..."  
  
"What?" Sard asked rather annoyed at being called to a halt by a common whore.  
  
"I have an idea that will make this far more...entertaining for you," Legolas offered with a mock shy smile. Seeing the interest flash in the lord's eyes, Legolas gently pushed the man off him and to the side while he clambered of f the bed.  
  
Moving over to his pack that he had pre-placed in the room, knowing exactly how this night would play out, he pulled out a thick length of cord. Turning on his heels with a suggestive smile, he held it up by one end, allowing the other to fall down to the floor while he licked his lips and moved cat like back towards the bed.  
  
"Have you been naughty?" the man asked with a sickeningly pleased tone.  
  
Biting back the want to just stab the man, Legolas reminded himself where he was and what he had to do. It had to look accidental, had to be so that it could not be blamed on anyone. When in such a town as Larnfield; known for her population of thugs and outlaws, even one as skilled and accomplished as Legolas had to be careful.  
  
"No, my lord," Legolas said as innocently as he could manage, "I was thinking that you may enjoy it more if you were the 'naughty' one." Raising an eyebrow elegantly, Legolas crawled up onto the bed and smiled encouragingly at the human before him. Placing the rope between his teeth and moving a hand down to the man's right arm, Legolas let his fingertips trail over the coarse material before entwining his fingers with those of Sard's. Pushing the limb up along the bed in an almost sensual movement, Legolas leant far across the man's body and mirrored his past action with Sard's other hand. Straddling the human once more, he held the excited man's arms up to the metal bars that made the bed-head and, slipping the rope from his mouth, bound them tightly to the thickest of the posts.  
  
"Oh," Sard let out a string of aroused groans as he squirmed under the Elf, his eyes telling of the levels of enjoyment that he was drawing from this.  
  
Pushing Sard's head to the side, Legolas licked lightly at the man's jaw before moving his mouth next to the thug's ear. "I shall fetch us some wine," he purred out while shoving himself off the man's hips.  
  
A small table was positioned in the far corner of the room, stacked with wineglasses and a small bottle of red wine for the use of the rooms' occupants. Taking two of the goblets from the tray, Legolas uncorked the flask of wine and filled both glasses to the rim.  
  
In one quick, imperceptible movement, Legolas spun the ring that sat on his right index finger so that it was on the inside of his hand. Making a fist, he easily crushed the fake stone while allowing the powder that had been concealed within to fall into one of the filled glasses.  
  
Grabbing both glasses, Legolas forced a smile onto his face before turning around to face the man. Walking over as seductively as he could while idly swirling the wine in both glasses, he crawled up onto the bed and looked down at Sard with an impish sparkle in his eyes.  
  
Leaning down, he placed a half-kiss, half-lick to the man's cheek before placing the glass in his right hand on the small bedside table. Straddling the man again, Legolas reached down and wound one of his hands behind Sard's head, tilting it upwards while bringing the wine glass to his lips.  
  
"Drink," he prompted gently as the man opened his mouth. Slowly feeding the liquid to his victim, Legolas kept the man's head in place so that he could not pull away from the offered liquid. "That is it, drink my lord, take it all in," urging the man as he guzzled the crimson liquid down his throat, Legolas absentmindedly look about the room, planning the path that he would take in order to escape when the time finally came.  
  
Seeing that the man had finished his drink, Legolas knew that he could finally relax. Climbing off the bed while ignoring Sard's cries of protest, he picked up his own glass of wine and took a large gulp while seating himself in a chair off to the left.  
  
"Come on, little Elf, don't be shy!" the man almost moaned from his restrained position upon the bed. "I won't hurt ya - much!"  
  
Taking another sip of wine and slumping slightly in his chair, Legolas just offered the man a pitying look as he let out a long and labored sigh. "I think I shall wait a little bit...not quite in the mood." He dropped while trying to hide his mirth at the upset look that passed over the desperate man's features.  
  
"Why wait," Sard smiled suggestively while giving his hips a slight flex.  
  
"Do not be so crude!" Legolas chided as his face scrunched up in disgust before transforming into a dazzling smile. "And I am waiting for the poison that I slipped into your drink to take effect and stop your heart." Legolas said simply and emotionlessly with the smile still plastered to his face.  
  
It seemed to take the man a moment or two to realize what it was that the Elf had just said, but once the words rang home, a look of utter terror settled upon his face. Struggling against his bonds with a fierceness that surprised the Elf, Sard's eyes bulged as his mouth opened and closed like a fish.  
  
"Oh yes, that is it," Legolas said patronizingly, "struggle. It only makes your heart pump faster and your blood circulate at a quicker rate, thus spreading the poison." Shaking his head at the startled look that seemed permanently etched upon the old man's face, Legolas let out another sigh while draining the glass of all the red wine. "Honestly, humans" he muttered to himself as the man on the bed started to convulse. A deep gurgling sound came from Sard's throat as his back arched in pain and shook while his eyes started to roll back in his head.  
  
"Oh," Legolas exclaimed while leaping to his feet. "I almost forgot." Leaning down and placing a small kiss on the man's brow, he smiled devilishly while taking a few steps away from the trembling man. "Verdox sends his regards."  
  
At the use of the human's name, Sard's eyes widened more then they already were, if that was entirely possible. Whatever this man had done, it was enough for Verdox to pay a high price for Legolas' services and had had enough of an impact upon Sard to cause such a reaction.  
  
"You see, this is perfect," Legolas muttered to the man that seemed almost paralyzed bar his feverously darting eyes. "I could not have planned it better myself! You are a man with little morals, so a bawdy-house seems to apply to you. When a young whore comes on to you, of course you cannot refuse. Trouble is, the libertine is into a little kink; he takes you upstairs where things start to escalate, and BOOM," Legolas shouted with a little spring in his step, "your heart fails you. Now the whore, utterly horrified as he is, runs off into the night never to be seen again. The end, case closed, drug undetectable."  
  
"Y-you're...in-insane," Sard managed to choke out around his coughs and gasps.  
  
"No, my current employer is," Legolas contradicted while pulling the flimsy shirt off his back and throwing it into the corner. Reaching into a pack that lay under the small desk, he pulled out a tunic of deep green and slipped it over his head. "You really should be careful about who you wrong, as, professionally speaking, I would rather throw myself off a cliff before aggravating him."  
  
A loud gurgle from behind told the Elf that the man had finally passed. Walking over to the bound corpse, he took the right hand of the man and pulled out his boot-knife, spinning it as he released it from the sheath. Looking from the hand to his knife, he realized his predicament. If he cut it off as a trophy as he was supposed to do, it completely ruined his cover story of the heart attack and the scared whore; and he had *not* put up with that degrading display for nothing!  
  
Dropping the bound hand, he grabbed the left and slipped the chunky ring from the man's index finger and placed it into his pocket. Pulling the leather tie out of Sard's hair, he parted a section from underneath and cut the lock off at the scalp before using the cord to tie it together. Placing that with the ring, he also took the small dagger that lay inside Sard's boot as another token.  
  
Placing the dagger into his bag, Legolas, without so much as a second look at the bound corpse, grabbed his pack and made for the window.  
  
Throwing the bag up onto the roof, the prince turned assassin heard a knock on the door and a voice that made him stop dead in his tracks.  
  
"Sard," it was the man that had first welcomed Legolas to the table, "can we watch?"  
  
Biting down on his tongue in utter disgust, Legolas squeezed his eyes shut to try and purge the thoughts out of his head. Perhaps Sard and his gang did all deserve to die.  
  
Thinking quickly as the knock was repeated and the clerk pleaded to be allowed entrance, Legolas let out a few fake 'ohs' and 'ahas' before calling out weakly, "No!"  
  
Turning back to the window he grabbed hold of the awning and, in one quick movement, swung himself out and up in a wide arch. Landing on the sloped covering in a crouched position, he quickly grabbed his pack, slung it over his shoulder and ran sure-footedly and soundlessly across the shingled roof.  
  
*****  
  
Tbc...  
  
*****  
  
Upcoming preview: Chapter Two:  
  
"Verdox," Legolas replied with an even and confident tone. "I was...delayed due to a few complications."...  
  
... Gangs were starting to spread out, shadows moving stealthy below him, huddling within the shadow... ...A high kick to the head saw the first fall into the mud, just as his elbow crushing a man's nose saw to it that the murky liquid that lined the ground splashed up the sides of the surrounding fighter's pants... ..."The way I see it," Legolas continued, "I did you and this town a favor. I did that which you could not." "Indeed, I could not murder in cold blood!"  
  
Later On:  
  
"I want two thousand gold pieces upon that Elf's head," Verdox instructed slowly, "and I want every bounty hunter, assassin and mercenary within three days ride of here to know of it. We will show him fear!"  
  
*****  
  
Ok, no more previews for you! *hides away the rest of the story!*  
  
I hope you liked it, and that you can forgive me for starting yet another story. But hey, at least it promises to be an interesting one! LOL!  
  
I wish you all well, and goodnight,  
  
Minka. 


	2. Reign of Terror

Author's Notes: All right, here is the next chapter! I am glad that you have all enjoyed it - one way or another - though reviews shall be replied to at the end so to keep this note down in size. All I need to say is that this chapter starts the day after the last, but quickly flashes back to tell what happened after Legolas went out the window. This flashback will last for the rest of this chapter and most of the next...yes, I really got carried away! Lol.  
  
Also, for this chapter and the next, I drew a little inspiration from Gangs of New York - I just REALLY wanted to do a big street fight scene...  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter two  
  
Reign of Terror  
  
*****  
  
Walking as quickly as he could while trying to brush the dirt and blood out of his hair with his fingers, Legolas concentrated on following the barely visible path through the woods.  
  
He had only been in the abnormally dark forest once and that was over two months ago when he had first met with his employer, Verdox. The trees seemed to fade into the shadows, disappearing within the heavy and unnaturally thick mists while the canopy seemed to strive to block out the celestial light that would be present in any normal forest. For the Elf, walking through this woodland - a place that he would normally be utterly comfortable within - was like a nightmare. Nothing stirred; no small forest animals scurried across the drying leaves on the ground, no birds fluttered from bough to bough - not even the far off howling of a wild dog could be heard.  
  
It was an unreservedly eerie place, one that filled the Elven prince with foreboding and dread. The deathly silence of the woodland and the peculiar darkness of the night spoke wonders to the Wood-Elf. Having lived in a forest all his life and after spending his childhood and adult years surrounded by the natural noises of a thriving woodland - even in the years of Greenwoods decent into shadow, the forest still pulsed with life - he was far more equipped to understand and interpret the meaning shrouded within the deceptively calm yet ominous gloom of the woods. It spoke of evil, of a presence that cloaked the trees, the animals and even the light with its fearful threat. A threat that forced the environmental ruling of nature into submission.  
  
Yet now, as he trekked through the dark woods, was hardly the time to be contemplating such things, not when he had a job to do. Besides, he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself should the occasion arise. Using mostly his memory, Legolas tracked his way back to the meeting spot by the large birch tree. His allocated time was up, the days having passed quickly in his search, but, luckily for him, he had completed his task; only just.  
  
It was only last night that he had finished his job that saw Sard annihilated, and, between the game of duck and cover that he had been playing with the town's residences, he would have been lucky to have made it to the forest within the set time, let alone with his head still residing on his shoulders.  
  
"You are late!" a voice stated out of the shadows, actually catching the Elf unprepared. "What kept you - I do not like to be waiting!"  
  
"Verdox," Legolas replied with an even and confident tone. "I was...delayed due to a few...complications."  
  
"Loose ends?" Verdox demanded with a malice filled tone, the human still only a vaguely opaque cluster of shadows within the thicket of trees off to the Elf's right.  
  
"They are taken care of," Legolas reassured the man; at least the ones that knew anything were. Even as the assassin spoke the words, the notion that 'taken care of' was a complete understatement came to find, especially as his thoughts briefly fleeted back to the utterly chaotic happenings of the night before in his attempt to quietly exit the human town.  
  
*~~~~~*~~~~~*  
  
Flash Back  
  
*~~~~~*~~~~~*  
  
Jumping from the roof of the tavern over to a lower, flatter surface, Legolas heard a shout come from the open window that he had fled.  
  
"Damn!" he hissed, knowing that Sard's thugs had found their dead boss. Freezing on the spot and listening intently to the sounds of the tavern, he could hear running footsteps. As far as he could tell, two people ran up a flight of stairs, one heavily built while the first was swift and surefooted. Shouts could be heard though he could not make out the actual words as they were muffled by the other sounds that radiated from the building.  
  
Knowing that he had to be gone before anyone was found to have the intelligence to look out the window, Legolas retraced his earlier steps over the rooftops with ease. Lightly jumping from one to the other, he quickly made his way across town, getting well out of the region of the tavern. Behind him, he could hear shouts spilling from the now open door, the patrons in the drinking house pouring out quicker then the ale had been not that long ago.  
  
Gangs were starting to spread out, having long left the treacherous tavern in fear of being somehow connected with the murder. Shadows moved stealthily below him, groups meeting and huddling within the dark corners of the many alleyways and already cries could be heard through the night - it looked as if everything was going to hell.  
  
He should have foreseen this. A murder in a town such as this was enough to stir up the very wrath of Mordor if one was not careful. The entire town was divided into gangs, groups that had no other way or purpose in life other then to kill and fight. A death in one such group, not to mention one that arose suspicion of murder, could be enough to start a war. The effected group would be suspicious of their enemy's and enlist the aide of those that hated a common foe; the other side would do the same and before long, you have a mass of misguided humans yelling at each other from opposite sides of the street as they waved their pitchforks and swords in the air.  
  
As he dropped soundlessly to the ground beside a building near the edge of town, he was once again thankful for the lack of light in the gloomy streets. It had aided him in sneaking into the tavern via his rooftop route and back out again after having set his trap within the chosen room.  
  
He hurried down the muddy streets, cursing the humans for everything that they were worth for not having the cleanliness to actually contrive of paved roads. In the wild he did not mind - it was there that things were meant to be dirty and where he would have no problem picking his way through waist deep mud - but to have such lowly conditions within a living environment... It just showed how useless and dimwitted the human race truly was.  
  
Rounding a bend and quickening his pace towards the gate, Legolas heard a number of heavy footsteps before he saw the emerging shadows, parting themselves from the thick darkness of the side alleyway. From the weight behind the steps, the sounds of the breathing and the soft swish of what sounded like expensive material, Legolas had no doubt as to whom it was before the shapes of the men even became visible.  
  
The street that Legolas walked was long and narrow, with one side opening into the markets and the other into a back alley. Up ahead stood the gates, tall and ominous in their silhouetted appearance against the night sky while the gathering masses of humans lay at his wake. While it was obvious that this was not the best of places to be corned in, Legolas held no real fear of the situation - after all, all three men were rather drunk and the Elf had already had time to pre-assess them.  
  
One of them, obviously the man with the scar through his eye judging by the sound of his footsteps, was coming from the narrow opening of the alley, cutting that route off as a possible escape just as the lanky, tall man was separating himself from the wall up ahead, coming to stand in the middle of the street.  
  
"Well, if it is not the pretty little whore?" the clerk stated as he closed in the last escape route the Elf had available as he moved to standing in the faint light near the entrance to the markets.  
  
Offering a small smile and a nervous laugh, Legolas decided to play them for the fools that they obviously were.  
  
"My lord's," he stated with a small bow of his head while shuffling his feet in a sign of bashfulness. The three men demonstrated their stupidity by moving together, grouping where the tall man had been and leaving both their flanks and the side openings to the street wide open.  
  
The tall man moved slowly behind him - as if stalking his prey - before taking two steps forward and closing the gap between him and Legolas' back. Hands suddenly found their way to Legolas' shoulders as the human pulled the Elf back on his heels, shattering his center of balance and forcing Legolas to lean into his chest. The man's left hand took up a position on Legolas' collarbone while the right moved the golden curtain of his hair to the left, exposing Legolas' neck.  
  
"I think," the man said as he traced the pointed ear with his index finger, his breath hot and tickling on the Elf's uncovered throat, "that we should get to know you a little better." The words were emphasized as he pulled Legolas taut against him and gave a quick flick of his hips.  
  
Letting out a gasp of mock shock, Legolas forced a timid smile to creep upon his face while lolling his head back onto the man's shoulder, moaning slightly.  
  
"And who are you, my lords?" Legolas questioned breathlessly as he rolled his head over the man's shoulder and down under the man's chin. Blue eyes stared up into the green of the tall man, pleading cleverly fabricated into the normally emotionless depths that rivaled the colour of the deep sea.  
  
"This," the man behind Legolas said while pointing over the Elf's shoulder and to the clerk, "is Malkon, and that fellow," he pointed to the other, "is Stran. I," he said dramatically with yet another flex of his hips, "am Caldinor. And you, my lovely? What is your name?"  
  
Not allowing himself to show his confusion or giving into the want to scrunch up his nose at the constant movements of Caldinor, Legolas just let out what he hoped would seem to be a contented sigh. Surly these men knew that Legolas had been, in one way or another, responsible for the death of their leader. Why did they not kill him? Hand him over to the so called authorities of this town instead of dropping suggestions like heavy rain?  
  
But then again, even to Legolas the intention behind their actions was far too obvious as was their lack of intelligence.  
  
Either way, it was high time that he dispatched of these portentous fools and was on his way.  
  
Feeling Caldinor lean down to place a kiss on his throat, Legolas saw his quickly forming plan flash before his eyes, showing him exactly what to do whilst hastily weighting up the pros and cons of each action. It was a well learnt skill, to quickly envision the acts before he followed through with them. To gain access into the heads of the panicked victims and predict their reactions before the process of illumination had even begun.  
  
As lips sucked at his pale throat, he was finally ready and happy with his line of action.  
  
"I am," he started, making as if he was about to offer the answer to a question that it was palpable that the humans had no real interest in.  
  
Reaching up and circling his right arm around the man's long neck, he made to pull him in for a deeper kiss. As the man suckled at his shoulder, Legolas quickly rolled his weight on his feet, once again putting himself at a point of perfect balance. Grabbing hold of the back of Caldinor's shirt, he lent forward and flipped the man right over his shoulder quicker then any of the men could see.  
  
Caldinor hit the ground hard, his weight landing painfully on the back of his neck and shoulders as his legs and hips followed the path of his upper body.  
  
Crouching down and grasping Caldinor's crossbow and a dart in each hand, Legolas had the dart loaded within the firing track before he was even raised to his full height. Only now had the two other men even showed any signs of understanding as to what was going on, and, as Legolas stood, Malkon started to stumble backwards in his haste to be away from the danger.  
  
Tossing the crossbow to his left hand, Legolas did not even take the time to aim the weapon at the man before he pulled the small trigger, loosing the arrow while trusting to his instincts to reassure him that the dart would hit its target.  
  
Throwing the now useless weapon to the side, he was rewarded with a slight gurgle as the man fell into the mud, the dart protruding directly from his heart.  
  
Whirling onto the next man, Legolas grabbed Stran's right arm before the man could even draw a weapon. Twisting the arm up and then bringing it down roughly, Legolas heard the bone snap like a twig as he felt for the cool touch of metal with his other hand in the opening of Stran's right sleeve. Finally feeling the lashings of the leather covered hilt, Legolas closed his fingers around the handle of the dagger, pulled it free from the small supporting strap and swiped it over the man's throat before he had even cried out in pain of his now broken limb.  
  
As the man fell, Legolas threw the knife downwards by the blade, catching Caldinor in the throat as he struggled to get his abused body to function.  
  
Casting a quick look about the three men, Legolas could see that there was not an ounce of life left in any of them. And all in under a minute - he was starting to beat his own record!  
  
"I have no name to grace your ears," Legolas said with a sweeping bow as he took the opportunity to introduce himself, "but given your current circumstances...Legolas, the Prince of Mirkwood...at your service, good sirs!"  
  
Pushing a few strands of hair out of his face, Legolas felt for the first time the warm, sticky feeling of blood on his hands. Pushing the feeling aside as he did his hair, he grabbed his forgotten bag, Caldinor's crossbow and his extra darts and continued his way to the gate of the town.  
  
"You there! Halt, I say!" A voice called from the dark, once again stopping him dead in his tracks. "What happened here? Explain yourself!" Sighing, his shoulders slumping and his eyes rolling in disbelief, Legolas gathered that the man behind him was one of the few people in this Valar forsaken town that actually made a living off attempting to uphold the law. Just his luck - this was NOT his night...  
  
Deciding that it was far better to just scare the man and be over with it, Legolas irritably blew a strand of blood soaked hair from his face and turned slowly on his heels, his face moving into the soft lighting from the burning street lamps.  
  
As he turned, he saw the man's face fall, his eyes obviously catching onto the sight of blood splattered across the Elf's face and clinging to his otherwise golden hair.  
  
"You murdered those men!" the officer started in disbelief, his eyes wide and shining with his fear in the light of the lamps. Through the man's lack of wit, Legolas held in yet another sigh as he silently cursed all that humans were. Useless creatures...  
  
"Murdered is such a nasty word," Legolas mocked, moving steadily forward with his arms outstretched. "It makes me sound like a common thug! I prefer 'assassinated; executed with precision' take your pick! And I would hardly call them 'men'." The officer was matching each of Legolas' steps with one of his own in the other direction, though, to his credit, he had not yet bolted as most would. He still gripped his sword with a white- knuckled grip although his hands were obviously shaking in a way that complemented his trembling lower lip.  
  
"The way I see it," Legolas continued, his steps still moving closer to the man as his smile grew wider; seemingly more psychotic. His face was angled down, hiding most of his features in the cover of darkness meaning that he stared up at the man from under his eyelashes, his pupils the only colour to shine through the shadows. "I did you and this town a favor. They were no-hopers. Worthless criminals that needed to be shown the error of their ways. I did that which you could not."  
  
"Indeed, I could not murder in cold blood!" The other shot back, his words showing none of the fear that his stance illustrated.  
  
"Cold blood is the murder of innocence," the Elf corrected the man. "There was no innocence in any of them; that was surrendered when they took purity - when they spilt blood in a way that you would deem 'cold'. The men they have killed, the family's they have destroyed, the woman they have haunted and tormented. They are the innocent - it was their blood that was spilt cold. They," he spat out, this time pointing towards the dead figures, "are who you should label the cold blooded killers."  
  
This seemed to silence the man for at least a moment. It was as if Legolas could actually see the other thinking over what he had said, turning the words within his head and considering them from every angle.  
  
"Anyway, my good sir," Legolas cut into this thoughts, the words said sweetly while he still looked up at the man as a tiger would its prey. "If that shall be all, I will take my leave." Arms falling back to his sides, Legolas started to turn, his head down and his hair forming a sticky curtain around his features.  
  
"You are not going anywhere but with me!" the officer said cockily, at least a smidgen of his courage returning at the prospect of the Elf getting away.  
  
It was as he took his first step forward that they both heard it; a loud, pained groan from somewhere along the street on Legolas' left. It was obviously human, this fact made even further obvious as the same voice hiccupped and gasped once again, a soft word slipping past the mysterious person's lips.  
  
Like clock-work; exactly what Legolas had expected, the guard turned his attention to the alleyway, his sword dropping slightly as he lent back on his heels to try and peer around the corner of the stone building.  
  
As soon as the man looked away, Legolas threw his hands above his head and sprung off the ground with his feet, effortlessly gliding into a soundless back flip. His right leg went over first, his left gracefully following as his dark cloak rippled through the air as if it were on water. The entire action was so fast that gravity hardly took its toll on his long hair and to anyone watching, he would have appeared to be no more then a strange smudge upon the already dark night.  
  
Mud squelching through his fingers, he once again pushed off the ground, this time bringing his feet back upon the slippery surface. Following the first with a second and a third flip, he stopped only when he was safely within the darkness shrouded outbuildings of the local market, the entire move taking place all before the other man had even been fully distracted by the distant cry. Spinning on his boot heels, Legolas felt the cool night breeze catch in his cloak, lifting the corners of it into the air and making it flare out behind him as he completely disappeared from sight.  
  
*****  
  
Not knowing what to do, Gruthfrid, the guard, decided that there was only one course of action. Take the Elf with him to check upon the wounded man and work things out from there. The only problem with his plan was that when he turned around there was no one there. The Elf was gone, vanished without a trace and without a single sound. Staring intently at the ground, the man could not even see the imprints of his boots in the position that he knew the Elf had been standing in all along. He had simply melted into the night; dispersed into the air and left no single trace of his presence.  
  
Almost thinking that perhaps he had imagined the entire thing, Gruthfrid shot another look at the dead men further down the road. The bodies were still there; someone had to have killed them and that someone was the blond Elf - he had not imagined it!  
  
Nor had he imagined that cry. Knowing that there was nothing that he could do about the strange Elf at the present, Gruthfrid sheathed his sword and headed in the direction of the pained cry, intent on at least helping someone to escape the riots of that night.  
  
*****  
  
Backtracking through the markets due to the fact that Legolas had found out that he had unknowingly wandered right into the middle of the forming gangs - the gangs that were charged up due to his actions - in his haste to get away from the guard. Using every constructive curse that he could, he muttered and ranted to himself as he slunk through the shadows, intending to head back to the place where he had met with the guard and make a dash for the town gates before the warring really began.  
  
Head poking around a wooden pillar, Legolas saw that the street was deserted. The guard had obviously moved on, hopefully, for his own sake, into the safety of his house or the watch station. Unnaturally clinging to the shadows, Legolas slowly and carefully made his way across the entrance of the markets and into the more open main street. He was about to pick his way over the bodies of the three men he had slain earlier when a loud shout reverberated off the walls of the town, filling even his heart with dread.  
  
It was a battle cry, a challenging and angered command from the leader of a gang, and, considering the circumstances, the elected leader of a small war- party. More importantly, it was coming from the alleyway just to his current right, the same place that the small cry and emitted from before. As if the situation needed to be any further complicated and dangerous, an answering cry came from just behind him.  
  
Quickly spinning, his boots twisting in the mud and causing small droplet to be airborne around him, Legolas looked on with fear as he saw the yellow glow of the torches held by the group that he had retraced his steps to avoid.  
  
Letting out a small, frustrated grunt, Legolas quickly weighted up the distance between where he stood and the gate. He would never make it, and the way that these thugs were at the moment, they would not care who they killed, as long as both sides satisfied their thirst for blood. Granted that he was a good assassin - said to be one of the best - he knew that he was no actual match for an entire small army. To take them on would just be folly!  
  
Once again abandoning the idea of the gate, Legolas sprinted across the muddy road, his head down as he plowed through the mud while heading for the large building on his right that stood on the corner block. As soon as he reached the partly paved sidewalk, he slowed his pace and lent back, holding all his weight on his left leg as he kicked the door open. The wood splintered around the lock, allowing the door to swing easily ajar. The Elf was through the gap and closing it behind him long before the door even had time to bang against the other side of the wall.  
  
Pressing his back to the splintery wood, the Elven prince let out a deep sigh, relieved to be off the accursed streets at last.  
  
"All right, Legolas," he said quietly to himself, "focus and find a way out of here!" Ice blue eyes darted through the darkness, taking in every tiny aspect of his surroundings. It appeared to be an empty stable, the roughly built stalls long since abandoned and the few remaining tools hanging from the walls were old and starting to rust or corrode. Apart from the one that he lent against, there was only one other door that lead to the outside world, and that was to his right, opening out into the street where he had heard the cry of the man when with the guard. The other sides of the establishment seemed soundly built, backing onto other buildings and offering no escape. Quite a few shingles were missing from the roof, letting a number of string moonbeams shine onto the floor at his feet; this route seeming to be the best chance of escape.  
  
Up onto the sides of the enclosures, flip onto the bean, break a few shingles and he would be out of there, on the roof and home free.  
  
Moving from the door, he was about to put his master plan into action when a variable that he had not counted on made itself known.  
  
"I did not do this!" a familiar voice rung out over the shouting noise from the right of the building. "I was merely trying to-"  
  
"You have got to be kidding!" Legolas muttered heatedly, the voice automatically ringing a bell. Eyes rising to the ceiling, he glared up in the general direction of the sky, "Anything else that you want to throw at me while you are at it?" he demanded of the Valar.  
  
"He killed Jonus!" another voice called out, deep and gruff.  
  
"String him up men!"  
  
"I'm innoce-" the words were cut off by a deep gurgling sound as something constricted around the man's throat. Rushing to the side door, Legolas sought out the largest shaft of glowing fire light in the slowly rotting wood. Dropping to his knees, he pressed his face to the large crack and peered out through the badly constructed door, watching as the daft fool that had stopped him before once again failed at trying to be the hero of the situation.  
  
Mind slightly boggled, it took the Elf a little longer then normal to process what exactly had happened, but once the first few actions fell into place, it was easy to see how the man had ended up with a noose around his neck.  
  
Once he had disappeared, Legolas mused, the man must have gone to inspect the hurt man, foolishly thinking that he could help. Legolas could almost see the dense man, calmly walking up to the injured gang member and probably leaning over him - to check that he was all right. Of course, when the full crowd of the gang came around the corner to see one of their own dying in the streets with a man bending over him; it would have appeared to be something more sinister - an attack on a defenseless one of their own. The rest was pretty much history, leading up to the very moment when they were about to hang the poor sod.  
  
Humans truly weren't the brightest of creatures!  
  
As if he needed more convincing of that fact, the other gang came around the corner, hate in their eyes and weapons raised high. The two opposing sides took one look at each other and tempers flared like liquor fueled flame as words were yelled and swords shaken in hatred.  
  
It was as if the entire world slowed down as the two gangs glared at each other. Legolas could look at any of the men and see what was racing through their minds; avenge their fallen leader or protect their impeached honor. And then it happened. A great yell, echoed by both sides and traveling down the lines and lines of people, and the first lot were running at each other, weapons held high as they clashed right in the line of Legolas' view.  
  
It was an amazing thing to witness. Never had he stood back from such a huge battle and simply watched - he was usually one of the hundreds that fought, that clashed blades with someone of the opposite side and prayed that he would prove to be quicker then his opponent. But to see the two sides mingle like that, to run full pelt into the other and blend seamlessly, was truly a wonder of a frightening degree.  
  
One side were clad in dark brown leather jerkins or wore matching leather tied about their upper arms as a form of identification and group allegiance while the other were marked with blue. Hoods, tunics, bandannas; anything and everything was used as a marker, making the fusing line of the two fighting sides all the more terrifying to behold. Weapons mingled with arms, heads with flaming torches and a sea of colour coded bodies flooded into a conflicting one as the two sides broke against each other like a wave upon a rocky shore. The shouts and cries that the wind carried from the front line echoed around the streets in a fashion that did remind Legolas of the demanding tones of the sea - or at least how it had been described to him. The call was furious, persistent and unrelenting as the sound of steel scraping against steel, ripping flesh and splashing mud melted into the hatred filled war cry. It was a sound that almost hurt the Elf's sensitive ears, his heightened sense of hearing picking up on and intensifying each and every sound while driving him to want to cringe and cover the delicate points.  
  
As the battle grew in the midst of a moment, there was still a number of men huddled around the guard, tightening the rope and getting ready to lynch the poor fool, much to Legolas' shock. He had thought that the men would forget all about their hostage as the chance to spill blood made itself known.  
  
Half intent to just sit there and watch the foolish human get what his idiocy deemed was coming to him, Legolas felt that stirring within him that just simply would not allow it. How he hated that feeling! That nibbling at the corners of his soul that refused to leave him alone until he obeyed, until he rendered. The constant throbbing that would start in his head, move to his ears and finally his limbs when something like this happened, forcing his will to surrender to his heart and actually do something that others would probably deem 'gallant'. He hated it, he really did! In his line of work you were not meant to be kind, not meant to go risking your own life for someone else's no matter what. Doing something like that was what would get you killed; after all, it had happened to the best of them, the very ones that had taught Legolas. You get personally involved, or you go off on some heroic mission to save someone incapable of saving their selves and you end up on the other side of the killing. But job aside, even as a prince of his people he was not supposed to do such; such an act being far too dangerous for not only him, but for his bloodline and his people.  
  
And yet every time it happened without fail. Every time some innocent person was in trouble, normally due to their own stupidity, there was no doubt that the little voice would pop up in his head and annoy the life out of him until he actually did something about the situation.  
  
'You are better then those humans' it would say, rather vain, but still self-sacrificing, 'it is your duty to do something to help those that did nothing wrong.' And no matter how much he told himself that they brought it upon their own heads, and that the Elves had no real need for the useless mortals, he would always find himself doing something utterly reckless in order to have that little voice just shut up and deem him the 'good guy'.  
  
Oh, he really, really hated his conscience!  
  
"Son of an Orc," he muttered, standing to his feet and preparing himself for what he was about to do. He had no real plan, no basic strategy - just get out there, do a bit of damage and get back inside in one piece...without forgetting the guard of course.  
  
Opting for a more high profile entrance, the Elf glanced around the stables once more, his eyes falling on a number of crates just to the left of the door. Smiling secretively, he pulled two of them over, placing one next to the door and the other in front of that, forming a small platform. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the opportune moment...  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Upcoming previews: Chapter Three:  
  
Over the location of Larnfield the sky was lined in red and hazy black. Fire seemed to lick at the heavens above, roaring up in a frantic attempt to consume the darkness and make it surrender to the glowing embers of the flaming buildings.  
  
Later on:  
  
The man's voice, the sparkle in his eyes, the way in which Estel had looked down at him as Legolas retreated from his approach; that thrill that had ran laps around the course of his body as Estel finally sealed their lips...oh how Legolas hated him!  
  
...Legolas convulsed on the bed, curling in on himself and gasping even as Elrohir struggled to keep him flat. The pain, so clearly written in the way that his face scrunched up and his eyes squeezed shut, was constantly cried out into the room, striking further panic into the hearts of all that watched. The sole Prince of Mirkwood; their beloved friend, was dying...  
  
*****  
  
Response to reviews: a big thank you to all!!!!  
  
Kael Kalespel: I hope that this was soon enough, and I am glad that you liked it so much...  
  
Sirithiliel: You are not looking forward to the Aragorn/Legolas bit coming up? Well, if that is the case, rest assured, he is not coming into it for a little while yet...i kind of got myself carried away with what was meant to be the prologue but is now stretching into three to four chapters...  
  
Jedi Cosmos: Oh, he is, he is! It is a side of him that I have yet to really explore, but I am loving it so far!! Lol, yes, I wanted his murder scene to be artful and clever, so that it would soften the blow to any people that did not want to see Legolas in such a light...  
  
S: The intrigue is only going to get stronger and stronger! *Sweet smile* And yes, Estel has a rather...umm...different form of interaction with our cunning little assassin...  
  
Eeyaatoe: Damnit!!! I should have used your suggestion for Aragorn - well Estel's part in the story. You know, the idea of him being one of the people out to kill Legolas never even occurred to me! How sad is that? But oh, thank you for the assassin comment. It is really hard to put such a thing on paper, especially keeping him the way that I envision in within my head so it is nice to hear that you like it. as you can see, Legolas' calculations in the tavern paid off, though I was not actually intending for that to happen.  
  
whispers of an angel: *Wills more chills to pass down your spine while laughing evilly*  
  
Analia: Damn. Honestly, I try to be original and someone always beats me to it! It is the voices in my head - they like to disclose my secrets! Lol. I hope this version does not disappoint. And with the amount of story that I have written, it should not be too long between updates at all... in theory...  
  
Silvertoeke: Yes, a new story - I can't even stick to my own plans! Lol. But I hope it is still promising.  
  
Exrated: Hey! Long time no see - well, that would be my fault... *offers smile* how are you? Anyway, gotta keep to the point else I shall be here all night. I am glad that you liked the previews, I have decided to put them at the end of each chapter so be prepared to be teased! And see, I did post soon - it has been what, a week? Cheers back!  
  
Julie's Here: Hehe, Legolas needs an attitude more often I think. But all attitude lovers, be warned, he is just going to get worse as we go!  
  
Jedi Ha'Li: All right, this applied to Ihni as well, who was also put off by the degree of slash in the first chapter. It is not going to be that bad all the way through! It was just the *BOOM, I'm here, pay attention to me* beginning, if you know what I mean. But anyway, I hope I did not scar you too much, or leave unwanted mental imprints on your mind, and if I did, then I do apologize!  
  
Ihni: *Hangs head in shame* Again, I am sorry for converting to the endless ranks of slash, but it was something that I was pulled into and utterly swamped! But it does become more Minka-ish later...well, in this chapter even.  
  
But yes, look on the bright side, it is an update!! A rare thing for me these days. But hey, I am still here and no one is getting rid of me that easily! And hey, I shakll turn your statement around and say that since you 'pushed' me into it 'you deserved everything you got'! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA  
  
Yes, it is slash, yes, I have fallen, yes I should be ashamed... *turns off the prerecorded tape with all her many apologizes that she always finds herself needing to make* I hope I can at least attempt to make it artful as you know how much I hate the stories where Legolas is this pretty little thing that gets petted upon the head and looked after by Arafuck... opps, did I say that out loud? ...Aragorn! And the way that Legolas is with humans, it is not like he is going to be all that thrilled with Aragorn at first either! Violence as been, is coming and will be plentiful within a few chapters...  
  
Pirates will be attempted this holidays - just a short story before I get into what we discussed as that will take me ages... Question. Who was it that punched who in the face? With the running away thing and we got the images of Jack smacking Will over the head with an ore? I sort of forgot that and that is vital... And yes, stop saying that! Lol, I never know what to say and it makes me embarrassed... one day I might just turn around and write a Mary-Sue to get a different response! Lol!!!!!  
  
*****  
  
All right, that was it for now, though it should not be too long before the next update. I hope it did not disappoint and that you all enjoyed it.  
  
Minka 


	3. Burning Betrayal

And here is chapter three. A word of warning, it is quite long...really long, but there was just no suitable place to put in a chapter break without not only disrupting the flow of the action but also taking away most of the tension. So here it is. As usual, replies to reviews are down the end as they get quite long as well.  
  
Also, much thanks to Ihni for the chapter title - I was utterly stuck.  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Burning Betrayal  
  
*****  
  
Finally deciding that it would be nice if he went to rescue the idiotic guard sometime soon, the Elf kicked the door wide open, sending a number of unlucky men flying backwards as the wooden structure banged into them. Watching his handy work, Legolas took a few steps backwards, lining himself up with the crates while his eyes locked onto a target that only he could see. Head down and a small smile playing across his lips, he ran full pelt towards the open door, springing off the crates once he reached them and thus sending himself soaring through the air.  
  
With that the Elf entered the fray, making the impressive entrance that he wanted as he curled in on himself, flipping over the first row of heads and landing right in the middle of the battle.  
  
Automatically whirling into action, he dispatched as many startled men as possible. A high kick to the head saw the first fall into the mud, just as his elbow crushing a man's nose saw to it that the murky liquid that covered the ground splashed up the sides of the surrounding fighter's pants as blood seeped into the fabric of his tunic.  
  
Bending sideways, his hand sinking into the mud, Legolas used his arm to support his light weight as he kicked both feet into the head and throat of another attacker, not only snapping his neck, but also crushing his windpipe in the deadly move. As the man fell, Legolas pushed off the slumping body and flipped right over his left hand, his flowing cloak following suit as his feet impounded upon the chest of a gang member behind him.  
  
Grabbing a staff from one man who was busy attacking a foe, Legolas brought the end of the wooden pole down on the head of the man before smashing the other end into the face of the individual that he had been attacking in the first place. Casting one end of the staff to the mud and slamming the side of his booted foot onto the bottom of the wood, he splintered the end into a sharp point before throwing it like a spear into the stomach of another.  
  
A man to his left, who was wielding a pitchfork with surprising accuracy, came running at the strange being, the weapon held high above his head, obviously intending to simply bring it crashing down upon the Elf's head. Already having worked our the foundations of the man's attack, Legolas merely waited for his foe to reach him and, as the four points of the farm tool came flying down through the air, the Elven prince turned assassin simply stepped to the side, moving so quickly that the other man hardly noticed at all. As the forked-end sunk into the deep mud, Legolas kicked out at the man while wrapping his hand around the end of the handle. Legolas' kick caught the man in the stomach and forced him to stumble back at the potency behind the blow, effectively parting him from his weapon. Snatching the wooden pole into his hands, Legolas wrenched the tips free and, as the man once again charged at him, spun the fork to the other side of his body, using the four points to dig deeply within his skin and slit the thick throat as he pulled the pitchfork to the side, opening up a huge wound.  
  
Eyes darting across the battlefield, Legolas spied the guard only a few people away. His watchers had found a nice signpost to lynch him from and, while one was beating the man to keep him from running, the other was busy trying to throw the rope over the protruding beam.  
  
Grip tightening around the handle of his new weapon, Legolas wished that he had at least thought of donning his gloves before jumping whole-heartedly into the fight. He held the staff high above his head and, taking a few quick steps, shoved the end deep into the earth and used his momentum to volt over the few remaining fighters that stood in his way.  
  
As his hands let go of the wood and he once again tucked his head under and into a summersault, he reached for his bow-knives, pulling them free from their position at his back with no amount of effort.  
  
Landing easily on both feet, he slammed the blades into the backs of the two people he had just passed over before spinning them over his knuckles and bringing them back to the front. Legolas used this right knife to sever a man's hand from his wrist just as he saw that the man with the noose had in face successfully secured the rope around the beam. Both of the guard's attackers were there, tugging at the other end and pulling the struggling man well off his feet.  
  
Teeth sinking into his bottom lip, Legolas once again spun his daggers, getting them into a more comfortable grip for throwing. Closing his mind to all else around him, he narrowed his world to the two men, the victim and himself, making sure that he knew that this was all that mattered. The others, well, they could all kill themselves off as far as he was concerned. Each and every one of them were scoundrels, criminals and murderers; ruthless man that cared for nothing and no one but themselves and obtaining power. They were the very definition of the type of person that he would gladly accept money for in exchange of him stealing their pathetic life a little before their actual time.  
  
But the guard? He was the only true innocent in this entire catastrophe. All he had done was his job; tried to uphold the law and help a wounded man, and so it was he and he alone that Legolas would worry about. The others be damned.  
  
It was with that in mind that he allowed his daggers to fly from his hands, spinning through the air and catching the soft light along their gold and sliver blades. Both hit true, burrowing deep into the hearts of both men and felling them in little more then a moment. As their eyes rolled back in their heads and their bodies went slack, the strangling guard fell to the ground, gasping for air as his face sunk in the mud.  
  
Shoving his way through the remainder of the people, Legolas first retrieved his daggers from the bodies of the men - needing to use his foot as a brace in order to wrench one of them free - before slicing the restraining rope from around the guard's throat.  
  
Tucking one of his daggers back into the sheath at his back, he looked down at the man. "You humans," Legolas yelled over the din as he hauled the startled man up by his collar, "you are incapable of keeping yourself out of trouble." Practically using him as a battering-ram, Legolas shoved their way through the crowd and basically threw the guard through the doors of the stable. All the while, the Elven prince continued prattling to no one in particular, cursing himself for getting so far involved and letting his emotions take over. "Idiocy in you mortals must come with short years!"  
  
"You are quite bitter, you know that?" the man coughed out, his body doubled over his middle and his hands wrapped around his throat as he tried to rub the feeling back into it. Normally he would have already profoundly thanked his rescuer, but considering the person behind the liberation and said person's ill-contempt the thought never really crossed his mind.  
  
"Comes with the circumstances and the current company!" the Elf shot back as he dashed around the room, dragging barrels and crates to pile in front of the door.  
  
The sound of clashing blades could be heard coming from both angels, the one in which Legolas had entered the stables and the one that he had just barricaded after saving the foolish guard, painfully marking their trapped situation. Outside the fighting continued to rage, the yells and cries growing as the numbers of standing humans dwindled. Bodies crashed to the ground, the liquid mud splashing into the air and laced with the glimmering red of blood. Weapons lay forgotten among the bodies, stained with the very life of all living beings and never again to be used by their rightful owners. Fire lit the street, torches being waved in hopes of taking out numerous foes with one swipe, or the flames splattering out as they lay sinking in the blood stained mud next to unmoving hands.  
  
For the Elf, it was hard to tell which was worse; the scene before him or the sight that greeted him every time a war was over. At least with the battles that he had participated in there had been a greater cause; a purpose and belief that needed defending or proving. This? This was just a slaughter - a petty excuse for the lower beings of Middle-Earth to kill each other off all in the name of apparent 'honor'.  
  
"Do you have a name?" the guard asked of the still moving Elf. Legolas seemed enable to just stop; if he was not making sure that both the doors were well secured, he was searching through the old tools, overturning the lids of creates or testing the stability of rope. A constant frenzied movement that still held a remarkable amount of grace and formality.  
  
"No," was the concise and rather unfriendly reply as the Elf wrapped a length of rope around a wooden pillar and pulled with all his might. Satisfied with the result, the Elf let one end go and quickly wound the excess around his hand and elbow, forming a neat loop before tying it off and shoving it into his pack.  
  
"Well," the man said with a small sigh although his brow was furrowed; this Elf seemed close to being eccentric. "I am Gruthfrid, nonetheless," the man introduced himself to the barely listening blond.  
  
"Aha," Legolas murmured as his eyes flicked over the ceiling.  
  
"I thought that you Elves were all 'live in the light and dance around in joy," Gruthfrid questioned, his interests quirked as he watched the Elf go about his business. He appeared to be counting something, perhaps measuring the amount of steps from the place he stood to the corner of the room and the first horse enclosure.  
  
"And yet I skulk in the shadows?" Legolas added, knowing full well where this was going. Deciding to give the man the truth - or at least the select parts of the truth - Legolas just let out a small sigh and said, "It comes from living a millennia in the eyes of the public... You try it - it is an anger inducer if I ever knew one!"  
  
"So you kill people to take away the anger?" Gruthfrid continued, musing over the small amount that he knew about the being before him. He had no doubt in his mind that he had killed those men in the streets; stolen their lives within the quickest of moments, and yet that stood to contradict the ideas behind the Elf saving him. He did not have to risk his neck to save a human that had been willing to apprehend him only minutes before. "Wait, wait, wait!" he mused, his thoughts finally filling in the open gaps of the situation, "You killed them because they attacked you. But why did they attack you? Maybe you annoyed them in some way before and then-"  
  
Whirling around and glaring at the man with hatred, Legolas emitted a small hiss through his teeth as his eyes flared. "Are you quite done?" he spat out, his tone dripping with venom, "Now be silent and let me think before I silence you myself!"  
  
For a time there was relative quiet within the old stables, the only noise coming from Legolas' scrounging and the guard's occasional cough and pacing. Neither felt too threatened by the happenings outside and yet it was painfully obvious that, Legolas especially, did not want to be in there at all.  
  
"Ah?"  
  
Legolas hissed at the sound, his patience long since pushed past his limit. "I thought I told you to be sil-" he started only to be cut off by Gruthfrid's yell of...  
  
"FIRE!"  
  
Automatically stopping and whirling around on his heels, Legolas looked to the area that the guard was quickly fleeing. Flames lapped rapidly at a small window in the far wall, the bright oranges and reds of the greedy fire spreading up the wall akin to a growing vine up a trellis. Even as he watched, the ever ravenous flames extended, latching onto the already contorted wood and making it crackle and pop as it heated up until it snapped and bent further out of shape before being completely overrun by the heated conflagration.  
  
Legolas had known that he could smell smoke all along but he had simply put it down to the flaming torches that lay dying out in the streets along with their previous possessors. It had not even occurred to him that the pitiful torches would be enough to set the building on fire, let alone as quickly as it had.  
  
Now utterly convinced that he should not have tempted the Valar before, Legolas grabbed one of the many horse blankets that lay around the stables and handed it to Gruthfrid.  
  
"Do the best you can," he instructed over the steadily growing roar of the flames, "do not get too close and try not to do anything characteristically stupid."  
  
Snatching the offered cloth from the Elf, Gruthfrid shook it out as he marched over to the burning wall, muttering under his breath about 'ill mannered Elves.' Flicking his wrists and letting the cloth create its own wind, Gruthfrid tried his best to keep the roaring fire under control and from allocating itself to the straw covered floor.  
  
While the guard was busy waving the blanket at the flames - appearing to be doing more harm then actual good - Legolas decided that it was time that he - they - got out of there. Cutting his scrounging expedition short, he grabbed his pack and slipped it over his shoulders as he started to run towards the corner of the room, counting his steps as he went.  
  
Confidence surged through Legolas. This was more like something that he was used to. The walk into the tavern earlier that night had been like a living hell for him, having to keep himself under control as he allowed the looks that the humans gave him to go unpunished. But this, this was a walkover. This was what he was born to do, what came to him like second nature; a sixth sense which stepped in and took control of his actions without even a moments' hesitation.  
  
This was his life.  
  
Right leg stretching up, his foot landing on one of the rungs of the enclosure, Legolas quickly and easily pushed himself off and threw his body weight in the other direction. Bending his knee and drawing up his foot, his boot slid off the side of the wooden wall, his toe fitting into a tiny gap which provided enough leeway for the abnormally light being to push off from again.  
  
Finally seeing that what he was doing was useless, Gruthfrid turned around to see what it was that the Elf was doing - the silence with which he moved was utterly unnatural. As he turned, he saw the last thing that he ever would have expected. Now, keeping in mind that he did not know much about Elves but he was more educated on the subject then most mortals, Gruthfrid felt for sure that what this particular one was doing was far from normal.  
  
He appeared to be running up the wall although that was obviously not true...not possible... It merely looked like it; the Elf was moving that fast, springing from the tiniest crevices and footholds in the wooden wall that it looked as if he were just floating up to the ceiling, his feet propelling him up the corner of the room as if he were simply climbing a ladder.  
  
As wall space unavoidably ran out, Legolas simply angled both feet to the wall and pushed off with all his might, sending himself into a back flip off the side of the building. His arms were held above his head, bent at the elbows and his palms out flat as his lithe body soared through the air akin to a leaf caught in the wind. Hands perfectly in line, Legolas caught the side of one of the wooden beams with his fingertips and allowed his palms to come down on the flat of the rafter. Lining up his center of balance flawlessly, he stayed perched on the beam in a handstand for a mere moment; simply enough to make sure that he had successfully stopped his forward momentum. Bringing his fingers of his right hand taut, he used them as a spring and pushed himself to the side and over his still gripping left hand. Soft leather boots hit the beam without so much as the tiniest scuffling sound as he stood himself upright on the girder.  
  
Only remaining in the position long enough to be sure that he had his footing, Legolas dropped to the beam and hooked his legs around the wide girth. Falling backwards, he tightened the muscles in his legs, causing his body to swing in under itself on the rafter while hanging him upside down a few feet away from the guard.  
  
"Grab my hand," Legolas instructed as he swung from his bent knees. Cautiously Gruthfrid moved forward, heading towards the upside-down Elf and reached out his hand. He was not at all thrilled with what he guessed was coming next and the fact that he hardly trusted the strange Elf before him did naught to make the situation any easier.  
  
"Hurry up!" Legolas commanded, giving his hanging hands a small jolt to emphasis the fact.  
  
Taking a leap of faith, Gruthfrid jumped up, his hands outstretched and grabbed hold of the Elf's leather arm guards. Legolas' hands closed tightly around the human's lower arms in a grip that almost made the human gasp in pain. One swift tug saw the human being lifted off his feet as, through a remarkable amount of flexibility, Legolas heaved himself back up into a sitting position, dragging Gruthfrid with him like a dead weight.  
  
"Grab onto that beam," Legolas instructed, motioning with his head to another supporting rafter that ran close behind the guards dangling position. Once the man had a strong grip of the wooden plank, Legolas let his grasp drop and rose to his feet.  
  
The Elf could hear the sounds of Gruthfrid scrambling to gain his footing on the other beam just as he could feel the strange, if somewhat frightened gaze of the mortal locked onto his back. Determined to ignore the other, Legolas went about putting phase two of his escape plan into action.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Gruthfrid demanded as he stepped easily onto the same rafter as Legolas, his fear now mixed with wonder.  
  
"Someone that advises you that is it best that you do not know," Legolas mumbled as he walked easily across the beam and to the place where the slanted roof met the vertical walls. Slipping his bag from his back, he placed one foot behind the other and balanced expertly on the thin beam before swinging the heavy pack and allowing it to crash into the underside of the roof. Shingles smashed, shattering against the weight of the blow and flew into the air before falling to the straw covered floor like a hail. A gush of fresh, cool night air swept over Legolas' face as the small openings in the room were widened, and, with yet another swing, he had the hole to a size that he was sure even the human could fit through.  
  
"The trick is to be quick," Legolas told the man, hoping that he would display an uncharacteristic amount of intelligence and understand what it was that he was telling him. "They will break under your weight so move fast. Try not to think too much about where your foot is going but more on when it will be rising again." Turning to the man who clung to an intercepting beam to keep his balance, Legolas saw the slight hint of fear in the guard's eyes. It was often a hard thing to remember that not all people did this sort of thing at least once a week, especially not humans and so, secretively telling himself that he was not going soft and starting to care, Legolas offered the man a small smile and an encouraging pat on the back of the shoulder. "You can do it, just follow me and try to keep up." Wishing that he had time to get his leather gloves from his pack, Legolas reached up and clasped his pale, slender hands around the edges of the roof tiles, feeling the jagged edges cut into the tender skin as he tightened his grip. "Oh," Legolas added for the human as a last thought, "Do not look down."  
  
With that he raised himself up easily, the folds of his black cloak swishing as he disappeared through the hole in the ceiling, leaving the anxious guard to his own accord.  
  
The cool of the night air was a relief to the Elf as he pulled himself out into the open. The moon was high in the sky, a large silver and gold ball floating upon the dark heavens and casting a golden-blue ring around its edge. Pale hoary light danced upon the long, wispy clouds that stretched across the sky like the reaching fingers of a hungry child, making them seem magical in their appearance; curved shavings of glimmering silver floating in a pool of dark water.  
  
Knowing that he was safe for the time being - since he was an Elf he hardly added any extra weight to the fragile shingles, and he was well out of the human eyesight of the gangs below - Legolas waited until he saw the shifting shadow of Gruthfrid. The man was coming, which was a good thing, but chances were that he would need aid in getting out so Legolas took the time to inspect his cut hand.  
  
The wound was surprisingly deep, cutting right into his palm and spanning all the way from near his thumb to a few inches below his little finger. Angling it up to the light, Legolas could see that the tear was serrated and uneven with large flaps of skin being lifted but remaining still attached. Surprisingly for both the degree of blood that ran down his arm and stained his shirt before dripping steadily to the ground and the horrendous look of the cut, the wound did not hurt or throb as one would expect. Just another war wound, another scratch and another scar, all of which were part and parcel of his job - especially when things went wrong to such a degree as this. The only problem that Legolas could foresee this wound causing would come later when he would have to try and hide it from Erestor during his planned visit to Rivendell.  
  
"Ah... A little help please..." a voice said meekly from below the Elf's position. Glancing down, Legolas saw the man holding onto the side of the shattered tiles, grimacing slightly as the compounded and hardened mud- brick cut into his flesh.  
  
Stepping carefully around the broken tiles, Legolas positioned his feet where he knew there were two sturdy beams to support the human's weight. Right hand brushing against his cloak to wipe off the blood, Legolas reached down and grasped the man by the wrist, crossing both his arms to provide better leverage. With one quick pull, the Elf had the man up through the hole, turning him around as he went so that Gruthfrid's back was to him. Once the man was half sitting on the tiles, Legolas moved off the beam, allowing the guard to scramble the rest of his way by himself.  
  
"Stand right there," Legolas instructed, positing the man on a section of the roof which was supported by two crossing beams.  
  
Gruthfrid did as he was instructed, his eyes on the sloping roof as he moved to balance on the partly stable section. Once satisfied that he was in a safe enough position, he turned back to the Elf, intending to ask him what they were to do next, only to be completely caught off guard by the sight of him.  
  
His unnamed companion was standing easily on was a noticeably an unstable section of roof, his feet resting on decaying tiles in a fashion that suggested that the dangerous flooring was the safest in the world. But that was no the thing that startled him. The Elf's hood was down, forming a layered triangle under his long, golden hair and leaving his face exposed for all eyes to see. Yet, unlike before when the Elf had been hidden in the night, his skin now seemed to radiate a soft light. Pale like the moon, the glow illuminated the Elf, making him stand out against the dark sky like a softly glowing star of golden light.  
  
"By the Valar!" the man exclaimed, stumbling backwards and further away from the Elf, his eyes huge with fright. "You...you are glowing..." he started dumbfounded as he stared at the Elf's exposed hands and face, his mouth hanging agape.  
  
Merely rolling his eyes at the reaction of the man - a typical one to say the least - Legolas let his hands drop to the back of his shoulders and flipped his hood forward, pulling it right over his head. He had completely forgotten about that little fact. Truly, it was such a small, trivial thing that he could hardly understand what it was that seemed to frighten human's so badly.  
  
"But..."  
  
"'Tis an Elven thing," Legolas muttered as he quickly plotted the best course across the unstable roof, "do not trouble yourself over it." Finally working out exactly what he was going to do, Legolas turned back to the man, his glowing face now hidden deeply in his cloak hood.  
  
"This is what is going to happen. I will go first and until I tell you to move, you stay here and stay put." Waiting for a nod of confirmation from the human, Legolas slipped his pack in front of him, keeping it on one shoulder as he dug into the opening. As his hand emerged with a rope - a different one to the one that he had taken only moments before - the Elf continued. "I mean it when I say that if you move before I tell you to, I am not coming back, so for your own sake, do not do anything stupid. But when I tell you to come, move quickly, as I said before, and try to follow the path that I took. Understand?"  
  
Teeth biting into his lower lip, Gruthfrid had to battle his own rage to simply give the arrogant Elf a nodded answer once again. The blond seemed to have a way of getting under his skin and irritating him, causing his blood to boil at the unnecessary words spoken with such a clipped attitude- filled tone.  
  
Legolas paid the man no attention - as was becoming normal - as he readied himself to set out. Simply leaping to the adjacent roof of whatever building lay next to the stables was a futile idea. With the flames spreading so rapidly it was a logical guess that the foundations of the next establishment would be the next to be caught within the blaze. That was, if they hadn't already. It was with that in mind that Legolas chose the more obscure of the two paths. Over the roof, across the large gap that formed the battle ridden street and onto the next block of buildings.  
  
Resolved to see to it that this night would hurry up and end, the Elven prince wasted no time in starting his light-footed run across the decaying roof, each foot hardly touching the roof as he traveled easily across the slanting surface.  
  
It was hardly a matter of time before he was standing at the corner of the stables and as he reached to his belt to grab the cross bow that he had taken from Caldinor, he allowed himself a few moments to take in the scene below him.  
  
The fighting still raged on, although with less intensity then when he was out there. Most of the men now lay in the gutters or sinking in the deep, liquidly mud whether they were dead or slowly dying and completely overlooked by their supposed comrades. A handful still fought, determined to see the battle through to the end while, judging from the shouts and cry's a number had fled with their enemy's in hot pursuit as they weaved through the streets.  
  
Once again Legolas was struck by just how unimportant the battle had been. Such a waste of life, even if it was only that of mortals.  
  
Not wishing to ponder the situation any further, Legolas concentrated on the knot that he worked over the end of one of the crossbow darts. The Elf then used his boot heel to open a small hole in the tiles of the ceiling which he used to secure the other end of the rope, tying it securely around one of the smaller structural beams. Looping the rope around the shaft once more, the Elf fitted it to the crossbow carefully, knowing that if he were not careful the knot would be spoiled by the trigger mechanism. Eyes narrowed, the Elf took meticulous aim before his fingers squeezed upon the latch at the base of the handle, setting the dart and rope flying out in the direction of the other building.  
  
The dart held true to Legolas' aim and the thin shaft buried its head into the soft wood of the building opposite. Glancing behind him, Legolas was glad to see that the guard was still where he had told him to stay. All was going well.  
  
Now came the hard bit. It was all very well for Legolas to run across the rope and be on his way, but to get the human over the large gap would prove to be a bit more of a challenge.  
  
As he stepped onto the beginning of the rope bridge, Legolas felt the small amount of leverage that it gave and the slight spring from the slackening. Quickly calculating how hard he thought the wood of the other building to be against the estimate of his weight and that of the human's the Elf was able to get a clear answer. He would have no problems, but Gruthfrid would not be so lucky. Even if he pulled himself hand over hand the chances of the head of the dart pulling free were far too great. Not to mention the small tugging of his mind that would not allow him to push aside the thought that the rope was not strong enough for the human to use...  
  
Stepping out onto the makeshift bridge, Legolas pressed his fear to the back of his mind as he deftly made his way across the thin rope, his footing sure and not slipping once. Once on the other side the prince shouted back to the human, using his name for the first time.  
  
"Now, Gruthfrid," he called, knowing that the man could make out his words, "move now!"  
  
Releasing his fear, Gruthfrid propelled himself across the roof, his arms held way out by his sides to keep his balance. Despite how the Elf had said his instructions and just how easy Legolas had made it look, Gruthfrid was hard pressed to keep himself moving. Each and every step that he took reminded him of what danger he truly was in - a single second too long on a certain spot could see him falling through the roof and into the roaring fire that was slowly consuming the stables. It was through sheer fear that he was actually able to keep himself moving, attempting to follow the Elf's path in his frightened and disorientated state.  
  
Legolas was surprised to say the least. He had half expected the human not to make it. To cling to the far end of the building and refuse to cross the dangerous path that the Elf had set. But no. The guard had kept his eyes focused on the opposite side of the roof and had run faster then any human Legolas had seen before. Although it was a given that Legolas would never admit to his sense of admiration for the man at that moment, the Elven prince could not help but pass a small smile over his lips as his unlikely companion finally came to a stop near the end of the rope bridge.  
  
"Please," Gruthfrid panted out, his hands resting on his knees in his doubled over state. "Please, don't seek to tell me that I have to follow what you did here..."  
  
Surprising even himself, Legolas laughed as the man looked up through his hair at the being that stood waiting on the other side of the gap.  
  
"No, no. Nothing like that," the Elf informed the other. "In fact, you are going to be original and swig across!"  
  
"What?"  
  
The expected reply, to say the least, but it did naught to deter Legolas from his plan.  
  
"The dart will not hold your weight and even if I hold this end of the rope, it is likely to fray. The best choice is to get you over here as soon as possible and then I can pull you up." Horror flashed in Gruthfrid's eyes as the Elf explained the line of action, but again, Legolas did not allow it to bother him. It was probably just a human thing after all. "Seriously, it is the safest option."  
  
Gruthfrid looked to the street below. The number of people had dwindled even more since Legolas had last looked and all threat from below was practically ruled out - well, that was except for the drop that was at least twice as long as the gap was wide.  
  
"Trust me," Legolas added, all the while knowing full well that if he were in the guard's position - Valar forbid - that he would not. In fact, if someone like himself said those very words to him, Legolas was almost sure that he would throw his pride to the wind and run off in the opposite direction.  
  
Gruthfrid merely offered a nervous half laugh as his response as he straightened his back. Looking the Elf in the eyes, the man once gain had to question himself on the happenings of that night. He held no doubt that Legolas was further involved in the current state of the town and yet for the life of him he could not work out why. The Elf seemed nice enough - slightly psychotic, but nice nonetheless. He had after all, risked his own life in order to save his and that was something that Gruthfrid both would not forget and which brought up questions. Especially since the Elf was once again going out of his way to get him to safety. But then why the murder of the three men in the streets below? Sure, they were thieves and criminals as the blond had stated, but it was still out right murder. Something that, looking at the Elf now and seeing the way he smiled and prompted Gruthfrid on, appeared almost impossible for the innocent seeming character.  
  
Sighing and resolving to the fact that he may never know, Gruthfrid looked once again to the Elf and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Tell me what to do."  
  
Thankful that the man seemed to have emerged from his contemplation, Legolas wasted no time in explaining.  
  
"Do you have a knife?" At Gruthfrid's nod, Legolas continued, "good, now cut the rope on your side - make sure to keep a hold of it!" he added quickly as the man reached down, just in case he was cursed with an even further lack of intelligence then most of his race.  
  
Muttering half to himself and half to the Elf in proclamation that he was not that stupid, Gruthfrid cut the rope and wrapped his end around his arm, making sure that he had a tight grip on the almost slippery feeling cord. On the other side, Legolas pulled the dart out of the wood and did the same, insuring that he had a strong enough hold on the rope to be able to support the human's weight.  
  
"Come on!" Legolas called out to the man, seeing that the building was slowly becoming further engulfed by the flickering flames.  
  
For the second time that night, Gruthfrid found himself placing a lot of faith in a murderous Elf that he did not even know the name of as he took the fateful step off the side of the roof.  
  
He was freefalling, the air whooshing against his face and playing with strands of his hair as he sailed down and across. It were a mere moment before he felt the rope go taut and, squeezing his eyes closed, his body thudded against the building that the Elf stood on.  
  
Legolas had his feet braced against the far more stable roof and was ready for the human's weight to pull at his arms as soon as the rope went taut. Hand passing over hand, Legolas pulled the rope up, letting the useless other end fall behind him as the hand of Gruthfrid finally reached around the roof.  
  
"I thought you said that you were not going to save me," Gruthfrid said with a small smile - triumphant and yet thankful - as his head appeared from over the edge.  
  
"I said I was not coming back for you," was the only response that he received as the Elf once again pulled him onto the roof. Thankfully this one was far more stable, safe even for a heavy-footed human to tramp across without having cause for concern.  
  
By now the old stables was well on its way to burning to the ground, the walls snapping as the heat and flames ate away at the wood. Parts of the roof were starting to cave in, shattering against the fire covered floor and sending small, burning embers up into the night like the twinkling of red fireflies. Assessing the size of the blaze, Legolas took a wild guess at what would happen. With most of the town split in two, and then half of them already dead, no one would be there to think of the fire and, at the rate in which the flames consumed the stables, it was Legolas' opinion that within a few more minutes - ten at the most - half of the building around it would be on their way to adding to the pile of ash. The fire would jump in the breeze, leaping from one building to another while becoming stronger and stronger with each new establishment that it incinerated until finally hardly any of the town's buildings would remain untouched. It was just a matter of time.  
  
Pushing all feelings of guilt and self-blame from his head, Legolas reassured himself that all that had happened since his target had gone down was not his fault. It was merely the manifestations and results of a large group of unintelligent humans jumping at the smallest excuse to draw blades and kill each other.  
  
That in mind, he once again set out over the rooftops of Larnfield, Gruthfrid in his wake, as he headed for the main walls. From here on out it was easy going. Gruthfrid should have no problems traversing the roves, and they were well out of harms way of the gangs. A quick scale down the side of the walls, a small hike into the woods, and the tying up of a loose end and this entirely disastrous night would all be over.  
  
*****  
  
"I owe you one," the man said as he reached out to shake Legolas' hand firmly. Finally free of the constricting walls of the burning town, the two unlikely companions stood atop a hillock that normally acted as a sentry post for the town. An old, decaying watchtower loomed off to their right, a dark shadow against the red streaked sky, from where all could be seen. Look to the north and one could see the entirety of the thieving town, to the south lay the woods that surrounded and both east and west were bored by large stretches of plains, dotted with thick clusters of trees.  
  
"Aha," Legolas just sighed, practically snatching his hand back from the human while his gaze remained cast out into the distance, "because I really need the aid of a human that is incapable of keeping himself out of trouble!"  
  
"Well either way," Gruthfrid continued, feeling that by now he was used to the Elf's apparent attitude problem and disdain towards humans. "I guess that I was wrong about you - you are a half decent person...Elf."  
  
Smiling at the man, Legolas offered him a small bow; the most acknowledging action that he had showed the human since the time they met. "That is why I feel like I should apologize," Legolas said sincerely, his words causing a mirroring smile to form of Gruthfrid's lips only moments before the Elf smashed his fist into the humans face.  
  
Gruthfrid looked momentarily stunned before the sheer force of the blow caused his eyes to roll back in his head and his body to slacken, his legs no longer being able to keep him upright. The man fell like a dead weight to the ground, landing in such a prone, unmoving form that, for a split second, Legolas thought that he may have hit him too hard and killed the fool.  
  
Either way, what's done is done, and whether or not the man was still in fact breathing was not really the issue here - if anything, it would be better if the guard had been that easy to bump off. After all, he had seen Legolas' face. The man should be lucky - that is, if he did in fact live through this - that Legolas had not left him somewhere earlier; or let him end up strangling to death; or barricaded him in the burning stables; or...  
  
Bending down, the Elven prince grabbed hold of Gruthfrid's heels and started to drag him across the leaf-litter of the forest. His arms following after his head and the back of his skull bumping along the ground actually forced a few grunts and moans from the man, a clear sign that Legolas had been lucky - or unlucky - and that the human was still alive.  
  
Still weighing up the extent of his misfortune, Legolas let the man's legs drop unceremoniously to the ground as he went back for his pack. Tugging the flap open, he shoved his hand deep into the bag and scrounged around until his fingers came to settle on the rough fibers of the rope that he had taken from the stables.  
  
Again...everything had been preplanned before he even dashed out to save the whelp!  
  
A single tug to the smallest end of rope saw the length unravel as the Elf wondered back to the unconscious human. Throwing one end around a large tree truck, the left the rope sitting on the floor as he went and wound his fingers into the front of the guard's shirt. Towing him towards the tree in an upright position, Legolas merely let the fabric go once there and watched as the body slumped hard against the splintering wood. Kneeing down next to the man, Legolas grabbed both ends of the rope and crossed them over in front of the man's chest, pulling them tight and jolting Gruthfrid into an sitting arrangement, his back flush against the trunk. Looping the rope around the body and the trunk numerous times, Legolas moved behind the make-shift stake and tied the rope off tightly, placing knot over knot over knot just to be safe. He needed to be well out of this region before this man was allowed to escape.  
  
Job finished, Legolas grabbed his pack off the ground and slung it over his right shoulder before once again offering the unconscious man a small bow. "Again, I do apologize! But you did bring it on yourself..." he muttered as he hiked into the woods, once again disappearing into the darkness of the night.  
  
*****  
  
Finally stopping as he rounded the top of a hillock, Legolas turned back in the direction of the village as he pulled out a small flask of water. The night sky was a dark black, streaked with grey clouds and harboring the floating moon like a dock to a ship. Well save for one part. Over the location of Larnfield the sky was lined in red and hazy black. Fire seemed to lick at the heavens above, roaring up in a frantic attempt to consume the darkness and make it surrender to the glowing embers of the flaming buildings.  
  
Eyebrows quirked, Legolas merely looked at the proceedings with what appeared to be disinterest as he entertained the hope that he had roped Gruthfrid far enough away from the spreading flames...  
  
Before turning on his heels and heading further into the woods, Legolas muttered one last word into the night.  
  
"Humans..."  
  
*~~~~~*~~~~~*  
  
End Flashback (finally)  
  
*~~~~~*~~~~~*  
  
"Did you do it?"  
  
"Yes," Legolas replied as Verdox stepped from the shadows, his hood drawn over his face. Suppressing a shudder, Legolas again asked himself why he had taken this job. Something about Verdox caused shivers to run up his spine. The way the man stood, his back straight and his shoulders squared and yet his head constantly bowed, covered by his hood, seemed wrong, off- putting. Even his voice had a strange coldness to it.  
  
There was no real plausible reason for him to have accepted this offer over two months ago other then the fact that he had been itching for a challenge. He had not had anything that resembled a challenge in over a year, all his targets falling within a week or two after he was assigned to the case, and thus, a chance of tracking down one who had not been seen in over a year was just too much to turn down.  
  
"Well?" Verdox demanded, his hand outstretched as he looked at the Elf expectantly.  
  
Reaching behind him and into his pack, Legolas pulled out the various items that he had taken as a token of his achievement and handed them over to the human.  
  
"I asked for his right hand," Verdox stated annoyed, his dark eyes fixating on the Elf.  
  
"That would have arisen far too many complications," Legolas told him truthful while being completely undaunted by the harsh glare the man directed at him. "He was in too hard a place to just take such a thing, but I did the best I could. The dagger is from the concealed pocket in his right boot and the ring from his left hand. It is his seal and thus a good enough token of the kill."  
  
Looking the items over, Verdox could not help but be surprised at the boldness of the Elf before him; it was as if he seemed to hold no fear at all.  
  
"Very well," he sighed while tucking the belongings of the dead man into his pocket and the dagger into his own boot. Reaching to the small pouch at his belt, Verdox unfastened the ties and threw it to Legolas. "Your reward," he stated with a blunt expression.  
  
Catching the bag easily, Legolas placed it into his pocket, not even bothering to check to see if it was indeed the promised amount. The money never mattered, and why should it? He was the sole Prince of Mirkwood and thus had no real need for the payment of hate driven men. He did it for the thrill, for the chase and for the fact that, by aiding the wicked, he was ridding the world of even more horrible people.  
  
Placing his hand over his heart and bowing his head in a formal Elven blessing, Legolas smiled plainly at the man before him. "May the next time we meet be under the same circumstances." He had adopted that saying a few years ago after he finished a job for one man, only to find that his next assignment was to see that his past employer was involved in an accident as such. In such a world it was hard to tell who his next target would be, but, judging what he knew of Verdox, it was highly unlikely that he did not already have a few people after his head.  
  
Without so much as another word, Legolas turned away and walked back the way he had come, heading to where he had left his faithful horse and back to the life of a prince.  
  
*****  
  
Watching the Elf go and making sure that he was out of earshot, Verdox turned to the three men waiting behind him. Since the Elf had turned they had quietly drawn their weapons in unison, the steel tips of the blades dull and lifeless in the strange light.  
  
"Not yet, though we can't afford to leave him too long." he said with a small, commanding flick of his wrist, calling for the men to lower their arms. "Cardise," he called the leader forward.  
  
Cardise, a man of about thirty years, stepped forward and, hand over his broad chest, bowed his head while letting out a small, "Hoy."  
  
"I want to you take a message to Gareth," Verdox instructed slowly, as if the man were a simpleton. His eyes were still locked onto the place in which the Elf had disappeared through the trees, seeking out any glimpse of the being that he could see as the Elf retreated, his head held high. "Tell him that I want two thousand gold pieces upon that Elf's head and I want every bounty hunter, assassin and mercenary within three days ride of here to know of it. We will show him fear!"  
  
"Why not hit him now, sir? When his defenses are down." Alkin, the younger of the group asked, his sword being turned over and over in his hands as the shifted his weight from foot to foot.  
  
Growling lightly in his throat at the prospect of his leadership being challenged, Verdox glared the young man down, forcing him to recoil a few steps. "Because," Verdox replied in what could almost be said a sing-song tone yet with a slightly insane edge. "There are only three of you; he is not the best assassin out there because he has a pretty face. In order to take out the superlative, one must enlist a slight overkill in the numbers of the lesser and more inefficient to make sure that the job gets done. Also, he is still too close to Larnfield. If his body was found in these woods, it would go back to the remains of that pitiful town and then there is a chance of someone recognizing him, thus linking him with these woods and inevitably us. Besides," he added as if it were an upside to it all, "it will be interesting to see them squabble over whom has the right of first shot..."  
  
***** To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Next Chapter preview:  
  
Walking forward, he almost let out a fierce growl when the man went out of his way to block his path again. Anger flaring in his eyes at the realization that Estel had been doing this on purpose the entire time, Legolas glared up at the taller man with a look that would have made a band of Orcs flee...Formality be damned! No one treated him in such a way, guest of Rivendell or not.  
  
Later on:  
  
"Last time I saw you, you left me unconscious and tied to a tree in a burning forest!" Gruthfrid reminded the Elf. It had been a close call. He remembered waking up to the intense heat of a burning forest and, as soon as his body started to function once again and obey his desperate need to move, he found that he was quite incapable of doing so. "And now you come here searching for my help..."  
  
*****  
  
Replies to reviews  
  
lyric_firedancer: I know what you mean about having the two sides - they can be annoying as hell. One tells you slash, the other says friendship and they just keep arguing over the story until you finally beat your head upon the desk and pass out... or maybe that is just me! Lol. But yes, I know how frustrating it can be. But I am glad that you like it. Are you still going to go ahead with your assassin story, as if you do, please send me the link. There needs to be more funky stories with our Elves being slightly more on edge and with an attitude!  
  
Rabbit of Iron: I'm so glad that you like Legolas - he is a bit if a - for lack of better word - bitch! Lol. And trust me, the arse-kicking is only just beginning...same with the 'damn sexy' (yes people, be afraid, be very afraid...) and I am trying to keep the update regular, it is just a matter of making sure that I have at least one chapter ahead prewritten before I post the next one. *hisses at you* Not James Bond...I hate James Bond!!!! His very name makes my blood boil...icky, icky, icky. If anything, I would rather say that this is along the lines of the TV show Alias, just with a male Elf who is not working for the government and has no problem with killing people and with slash...ok, so it is nothing like that show either, but it was worth a try! Lol.  
  
Kael Kalespel: Glad you liked it yet again and I had hoped that it would be interesting. As for Legolas' use of his looks, well, that is not going to be a common occurrence - not really. It was just a matter of playing the part of the common whore was the best way to get to Sard, and then his man already seen Legolas acting as such and did not fear him because of it. Legolas merely played up to the role to give him a better grip on the situation and more of the upper hand. The next job that you see him do sees yet another different side of him...  
  
whispers of an angel: Estel will be in it next chapter and he makes quite the impression...  
  
Al: At the moment, most of this story that I am posting has been pre- written for AGES, I am just touching it up as I put them up. The lack of updates on stories such as Shadows Within is due to my sever lack of time these days. It normally takes me a good two weeks or more to write the chapters for that story since lots of them are close to 20 pages long - to a standard that I am happy with, and then I always make sure that I have the first few pages of the next done so that I know I have not written myself into a trap. Then comes the editing, the re-reading and often re- writing and making sure that it all fits my timeline. Being in the last term of my last year of school just means that I do not have the time to do this very often, so progress is very slow.  
  
With this story I have the next chapter complete and waiting for a good edit, I have most of the chapter after that written, the last chapter written, and about 20 pages of prewritten scenes that are waiting to be slotted in at the right time, so I actually have it quite well under control. At the moment I am updating a chapter a week, but shortly it will probably be a chapter every two, depends on how much more writing I can get done in the last few days of my far-too-short holidays. But oh, there shall be many evils that are thrown to Legolas... no ropes through the ankles like Shadows, but evils nonetheless... Thank you for your review and I hope that I put your mind at ease at least a little with the stories progress report! Lol.  
  
Analia: Oh no, another that is glaring at me for past stories... to save me tying what I called "The progress Report" all over again, please read the reply above! And yes, the later on previews are so fun for me to do! Finding all the really taunting bits to tease you all with... And look, an update, please don't threaten me...I am likely to threaten you back! Lol. Again, I am glad that you like this story and I am honored that you feel that way about my writing. Thank you kindly!  
  
Vana E: *Is unsure where to start* those muses of ours are a real handful, aren't they?! Muse #4, trust me when I say that his conscience is only going to become more of a hassle as we go along, and the blood, gore, torture, and lots of death will only increase!! But I am sorry about Gruthfrid's rescue but it needed to happen for later on in the story... *hint hint* Muse #2: oh, so you are the slash fan, I gather. Well, I think you will like the next chapter!!! *Swats at Vana and tells her that I shall update when I am ready...but I hope that was fast enough for you* Muse #3: Come now, you know me...do you honestly think that I could do a story without something violent and bloodthirsty and you already know it is slash - I mean, look at what I did to them all in the Helm's Deep story...hold that as hope! Vana: you may want to look into getting a few tranquilizer guns and shots!  
  
Sirithiliel: Ewww, I am not a romance fan either but I will write slash. And yes, slash is romance in a way, but it will not even be coo-y and crap like that. I will be there, as you will see next chapter (but after next chapter it kinda disappears for a time) but it will not be strictly romantic. I hope it is thrilling enough. We are now into the actual story, which is a relief, so it will hopefully be becoming a little more thrilling as we go.  
  
Ihni: Well, I think I pretty much replied to you on the night, but here goes...  
  
Yes, more Minka-ish! As was this one, I hope. Next you will probably kill me for, but then I'll just bribe you with the promise of pain, fight scenes and hurt and we will hopefully get over that... already told you that I liked your 'words of wisdom'!  
  
LOL! 'Once in awhile' and as said above, I am trying to keep this one going nice and quickly so hopefully it will all work out as I planned. Glad you love the violence, it makes the world go around, it does! I write like a camera? Well, that is a different one, but something that I shall be greatly honored to except. *bows* and did we not attempt to switch language skills the other night? Lol. But by all means, kill a few people you don't like...just tape it so I can watch!  
  
*Watches you go off on your rather large tangent here...wonders how we got from Legolas to Pirates and to Will...lol* Yes, I am ashamed of myself!! Oh, see, I can't read them - thy make me angry! I like to see my Elf strong, heroic and utterly deadly! I mean, he could probably kill someone with his pinky finger if he really put his mind to it! *makes note to try that out later...* As I said, I have not yet ventured over to the Pirates arena of fiction, but I will end up there soon, it is unavoidable. But god help anyone who writes a story with Will all weak without giving warning - I hate reading something and then BOOM, you are stuck in this typical Legolas/Will/any Orli character weak mode. It is so wrong! And yes, they are both strong, it is just that Will is not all that intelligent...but he can fight!!!  
  
"...Will act like a dog who's begging for Jack's approval..." DUDE!!! There is a whole story idea in that one sentence!!! *ducks various sharp implements that are thrown her way* ok, ok, so maybe not... But thank you for clearing things up on the story plan we did. I shall try and get around to experimenting with it asap!  
  
Ok, your criticism. Lol! I am not sure I understand. Are you saying that I am long winded and thus 16 pages never gets my anywhere, because if you are then I must agree with you (which kinda takes out the criticism factor) I know I don't shut up! Lol, I never get to the point, provided that I even have one, and if I really tried I could turn three seconds in about 1000 words! Lol. But if that is not the case, I shall get you to explain it so I can make improvements. *wink*  
  
****  
  
Wow, that was long, I do apologize. But anyway, until next chapter, I shall take my leave!  
  
Minka. 


	4. The Infuriating Complication

Yet another chapter - I think it has to be a record for me! Umm, this was one of the famous 'pre-written' scenes from AGES ago - all the way back when this idea came to me. Now, this chapter is not what you would really expect from me at all. It is very civil, very formal and decorous and, well...sickeningly cute towards the end. Though, I feel that I must remind you that everything and I mean EVERYTHING has a purpose - including Estel's boldness.  
  
Also, in regards to Estel, I am trying to keep him...secret? I am not too sure how to explain it, but I don't want you as the readers to have too much access into his head - I want him to be a bit of a mystery, and for you to only find out about him as Legolas does. If that made any sense whatsoever..?  
  
Enjoy, and Ihni and Sirithiliel, please don't kill me over it...  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter Four  
  
The Infuriating Complication  
  
*****  
  
"My prince, are you injured?" Erestor asked while hurrying after the blond Elf with a concerned smile. "What happened?"  
  
"Just a few Orcs, and a run-in with a highwaymen," Legolas lied easily, brushing the past situations off as if they were specks of dirt in the same manner as he did the formal title. "Nothing that I could not handle."  
  
As always, Erestor was the first to be there to greet the unexpected Prince of Mirkwood. It was as if he had a second sight, a sixth sense that could always tell when the rather reckless archer would mysteriously appear in the gardens of Rivendell without so much as a single word of proper announcement.  
  
Today had been the same as all others. Erestor had felt that strange clenching in his stomach as soon as he had risen that morning; the telltale sign of one of Legolas' unpredicted arrivals. He could not explain how he knew that the Elf was about to materialize in the oddest of places nor could he justify it in anyway; it was just something that was and always had been.  
  
All morning, the head advisor to Lord Elrond had fussed about the Last Homely House, seeing that an extra place would be set for that nights dinner, making sure that the prince's regular room was in a state of cleanliness and that fresh bedding and bath supplies were all in place.  
  
As it was, Erestor had only just finished his self-appointed tasks and had walked into the court yard for a breath of air when a rather bedraggled and weary looking prince rode through the gates, unheeding of the guard that practically begged him to wait so that he could be properly introduced.  
  
Legolas supported a single bag, it contents obviously not accounting to much due to the lack of bulge in the doeskin pouch. His clothes were torn and stained with what appeared to be blood, and the dried, rusty substance that forced his normally silky hair into a few clumps made the thought of blood a definite factor.  
  
Erestor had waited for the prince to come closer to the house before he bombarded him with the usual questions regarding his wellbeing and the turn of events that had eventually lead to his arrival here.  
  
Sighing and rolling his eyes slightly, Erestor finally caught up to Legolas' quick pace. "My lord, why do you not heed our words and travel with an escort as is befitting one of your position?"  
  
"Because, my dear Erestor," Legolas said while stopping and looking the Elf right in the eyes, "an escort would only slow me down."  
  
"An escort could save your life."  
  
"I am quite capable of saving my own life."  
  
"What if you could not?"  
  
"That has never happened."  
  
"But such a situation could arise."  
  
"Just as it may not!"  
  
Both stood there, feet to feet, eye to eye, glaring the other down. It was a common occurrence whenever Legolas breezed into Rivendell for these two to get into some form of disagreement about something or other. If it was not Legolas' constant refusal to accept an escort, it was the manner in which he arrived in the city unannounced and refused any form of special welcome 'as was befitting one of his position'. No one paid them any attention anymore, all the passerby's knew that it was not something that would escalate into hateful words or any serious form of conflict. It truth, it was just Erestor being protective of the Elf that he had know since birth and Legolas being rebellious.  
  
Throwing his hands up in defeat, Erestor let out a long and labored sigh while turning from the prince and walking away. "I swear by the Valar," he muttered to himself so that Legolas could hear, "you are almost as troublesome as Elladan and Elrohir."  
  
"Oh, Erestor," Legolas shouted back with a grin, "you insult me. I would say that I am far worse then both combined!"  
  
Glancing over his shoulder, Erestor offered the young prince a bright smile, his eyes seeming to light up with the mere change from his usual slight frown. "Sometimes I believe you are! But Legolas, please go get yourself freshened up and bind that hand wound!"  
  
Laughing merrily to himself, Legolas nodded his assent to the suggestion before turning in the direction of the room that was constantly kept for his surprise visits.  
  
*****  
  
Fiddling with the small piece of bandage that had been left after binding his hand, Legolas walked slowly and leisurely through the luscious gardens of Rivendell, marveling at the places beauty for what was not the first time. Little rivulets and streams made the grounds of Rivendell into an intricate maze of bubbling water, small bridges and grassy knolls. Finely trimmed bushes and shrubs lined the few defined walkways before giving way to the denser and wilder plant life of the great river city - all of which was still surprisingly well kept. Runners and vines hung strategically over limbs of trees and carpeted the ground with their petite green leaves and bright, colourful flowers. The gardens were truly a remarkable sight. There existed little to no trace of outside interference with the harmony in which the plants grew and yet there was no doubt in Legolas' mind that the plants had not naturally formed the structured paths and bushy coves.  
  
The sound of cheery voices moving in his direction saw Legolas ducking under a creeper covered tree branch and disappearing into the top most gardens that grew above the waterfall formed by the River Mitheithel. It was not that he wanted to be cold to his hosts, but at the moment, he was in the mood for a nice long walk among the trees in the hopes that it would better clear his mind from last nights happenings.  
  
Something about what had happened at Larnfield put him at ill-ease, more so then such actions normally would. It had seemed off somehow, like something more then just Sard's unexpected murder had been at play within the town and yet for the life of him, the Elven prince could not put his finger on it. Not to mention the fact that since he had left the town burning in his wake, he had the reoccurring thought in regards to the guard Gruthfrid. Legolas could not decide what it was that truly bothered him; the fact that Gruthfrid might have died in the fire or the fact that he might have escaped.  
  
In an attempt to push the thought from his mind, Legolas gave his shoulders a small rotate - the muscles seemed to be incredibly tight - as he looked around the area that he had strayed into.  
  
Like all of Rivendell, the grassy meadow was full of light and yet balanced with flickers of shade. The trees were taller here then they were closer to the paths and the shrubs and vines, still in full flower, seemed to be a little more hectic in the way that they grew. A deep thicket of trees off it his right provided most of the shade for the small clearing as well as the sweet aroma of honeysuckle.  
  
It was such a lovely place to be in, especially after the blood and fire ridden streets of Larnfield. The plants here seemed to hum softly, content with their way of life and the beings that wandered about them, basking in their beauty. The completely opposite to the strange forests bordering on the far side of the charred human town.  
  
"You must be Legolas," a deep voice cut through Legolas' dark thoughts like a sharpened blade through flesh. Jumping slightly, Legolas turned around to find the source of the words, wondering who in Rivendell could possibly have a voice like that - and one that he did not know...  
  
"I have heard much about the fabled Prince of Mirkwood," the voice continued, alerting Legolas' senses to the fact that the owner was hidden within the thicket of trees off to his right.  
  
"Have you now?" Legolas asked polity, remembering where he was. "But you have an unfair advantage over me, stranger. You seem to know all about me and yet I cannot even see you!" Well, that was almost true. In fact, the closer that he looked, Legolas could already start to pick out some of the features of this mysterious stranger. He was tall; probably even taller then Legolas himself and well built, his shoulders wider then the lithe Elf's. His hair was to his shoulders and wavy, most probably dark as, should it have been of a lighter colour, Legolas' heightened sight would have been able to detect the small rays of the sun shining off the strands through the leaves.  
  
"So lurk in the shadows no longer, unless you wish for my curiosity to surface and for me to venture in there after you!"  
  
At this a small chuckle emitted from the depths of the woods followed by the telltale sounds of rustling leaves created by movement. Seeing the shadow shift in the bushes, Legolas tensed slightly, expecting anything from a long forgotten face to a sworn enemy, but never was he expecting what walked out of the forest with an Elf like grace...  
  
A human!  
  
What in Valar's name a human was doing in Rivendell was beside him... But wait; as soon as he got this first good look at the man, it all came flooding back to him. Lord Elrond, in his kindhearted way, took in some abandoned human child many years ago - an action that would most likely come back to haunt him in the future in Legolas' opinion.  
  
"Ah," Legolas said softly as the man approached, "You must be Estel."  
  
At this the human bowed, a low, sweeping bow that was, to Legolas, completely overdone. Must be a human thing.  
  
"At your service, fair Prince," Estel said as he stood from his sweeping bow. Inclining his head in the direction that Legolas had originally been walking, he crocked an eyebrow as he asked, with all the manners of a high born Elf, "Would you grant me the honor of being allowed to accompany you on your walk?"  
  
Inside Legolas was fuming; burning so bright that he was sure that he was about to spontaneously combust, but, with all the skill and self-discipline of the Prince that he was, he somehow managed to gently nod his head in a sign of consent and keep the flame from his eyes.  
  
"Pray tell, why it is that you are out here unattended?" Estel began, seemingly picking the first topic that came to mind and running wild with it.  
  
"I do not need attendants to simply walk the gardens!" Legolas exclaimed incredulously while seriously wondering where this foolish mortal had perceived such ideas in regards to Elven royalty.  
  
"That was hardly what I meant!" Estel interjected at his own defense, "I simply was wondering how it was that someone such as yourself did not have company when walking on such a beautiful day."  
  
"Most probably the same reason that applies to you," Legolas answered back, hiding both his shock and annoyance at being wrong. Humans were meant to be predictable and uncivilized, and yet this man was fully capable of conducting an eloquent and formal conversation.  
  
It was infuriating!  
  
"You were also hiding from Erestor?" Estel laughed out, his head thrown back as he did so, though Legolas could feel that the man's eyes did not leave his face. "For that is why I was 'lurking in the shadows' as you so put it!"  
  
At the man's words, Legolas found himself fighting harder to control the bout of laughter that threatened to show through his cold exterior in a manner stronger then the need to feel disgusted by the human's presence. Why the human was hiding from the very Elf that seemed to find pleasure in haunting him was a subject that intrigued Legolas, though he would never give the mortal the satisfaction of knowing so. He would simply find out the reasons behind such strange behavior later from the twins.  
  
Opting for a lie, Legolas merely shook his head in a 'no' before offering vocal rebuttal in the form of a jest. "Do not speak such about an Elf as old as he - he will be going senile shortly and it is not polite!"  
  
This pulled yet another round of laughter from the seemingly carefree human at his side - a sound that was, strangely enough, not terribly annoying like the laugh of most. Perhaps his childhood surrounded by Elves had done more for this human then what would have been thought possible. He seemed further refined then most; blessed with appropriate etiquette and yet not to such an extent that he could be considered to be rising above his stature - whatever that may be.  
  
It was either that or Legolas was going insane... Perhaps he was simply tired from the disastrous journey which was resulting to his tolerance being lowered when faced with such a despicable creature.  
  
"Well then," Estel exclaimed when he finally recovered, utterly mystified at the fact that the Prince had such a side to him. Somehow the Elf did not seem like the type to make jokes, or to even laugh for that matter. And yet at the same time Estel got the impression that Legolas was not at all what he seemed, and that maybe somewhere, lurking below that obviously false façade of princely righteousness, there was something a little deeper, a little darker and fiercely independent. "Now you know about my dark secret and sinister use of the gardens, will you enlighten me on yours?"  
  
'Dark secret,' the Elf mused, 'where should I begin?'  
  
"Just paying my respects to a lovely garden that I have not walked in for far too long," Legolas again lied; but what was he to do? Tell the human that he had been thinking about the town that he obliquely caused to rip itself apart? Somehow that did not really seem like an option to even be remotely considered.  
  
"Of course," Estel said with a smile, "and who could not wish to pay their respects to such a lovely place as this."  
  
Legolas was bored. He was beyond annoyed at this stage, his quiet walk in the garden all but completely disturbed by this upstart of a human and his frustration was mounting with every word that the man spoke. But most of all he was just bored and itching to find something to do.  
  
It always happened, so it was utterly ludicrous that he should feel any shock at the restless feeling, but as Estel talked on, he could not help but place all his attention on the unsettling fact that he was completely, utterly and totally bored to death. Every time one of his targets went down, every time that he spent even a few days chasing after someone only to find himself once again smiling sweetly as he was wrapped up in the small talk that was befitting others of his status, he would be hit with such monotony that he wanted to just shout out something obscene and make life a little more interesting.  
  
Smile here, bow there, laugh at that, looked shocked at this, be greatly distressed about that. None of it was real. None of it was raw emotion that should be felt at the telling of news. It was naught but a forced reaction long learnt to make sure that there were no blunders within his conduct and thus resulting in there being no chance of some other person taking offence and holding a grudge against him and possibly Mirkwood.  
  
His duty was to his people first and foremost. That was what his father had told him from a young age. Legolas was the sole prince of Mirkwood. He had to be there for his people to see, to relate to and to bridge the gap between the ruling King and his subjects. Legolas was expected to the friend of everyone, to have the time and the patience to know of everything - but Valar forbid that he should seem like he was prying into another's life!  
  
No, he was meant to smile and flatter, flirt and be complemented and be the life of the party without seeming too outlandish.  
  
In short, he was meant to be a drone. A walking, talking person created of rules whose sole purpose was to be the voice of another so to reach more people. A person that did what he was expected, when he was expected and never, ever did anything as foolish as openly showing his disinterest.  
  
Estel, well he only made this time even worse. Legolas had been out in the woods tracking Sard for much longer then he would a normal target, and the rather strange way that the Elf had finally exterminated him all seemed to wrap themselves into a tight bundle within his mind. He had hated that night in the tavern and yet part of him wanted to like it, to be proud of what he had been able to force himself into doing so that he could achieve his personal goal. It had been dangerous, unexpected and, in its own strange way, exciting. He had never known just what effect he could have on someone if he really tried and that night, well, it had made him wonder about far too many things...  
  
"Legolas?"  
  
Snapping out of his deep thoughts, Legolas' mind raced as he looked up to meet the questioning eyes of the human. Estel had obviously been calling for him for quite sometime now as the man had moved remarkably closer and wore a deeply worried expression on his face.  
  
"Oh, I must apologize," Legolas said. Thinking quickly, he cast his eyes down and forced a small blush to creep onto his cheeks at his call - again, all utterly fake. "My mind was momentarily away. I do not know what overcame me. Please continue."  
  
"I think I know where that mind of yours went." Estel smiled at the Elf's raised eyebrow and questioning gaze. Leaning closer to the fair being, Estel locked eyes with the Elf as his forehead almost touched Legolas'. "You were probably lost in the memories of what happened on your way here. Last night, if I recall correctly."  
  
It took every ounce of self control that Legolas possessed to stop his surprise and utter horror from showing on his face at Estel's words. Swallowing the lump in his throat, the Elven prince worked hard to conceal his emotions and to also contrive a suitably answer. Mind drawing a black, he finally decided that it would be best to play the part of the confused party in the conversation and allow the other to do the explaining.  
  
"I am afraid I do not take your meaning," he said softly, almost breathlessly.  
  
"I heard that you were attacked on your way here," Estel offered, "a rather fierce band of Orcs, I believe. I am sure that it would have been a frightening experience for a lone Elf." Estel's eyes fluttered to the small strip of bandage that was wrapped around Legolas' hand, pure white save for the inside where a number of small red dots had soaked through, the wound still bleeding due to the difficult position it was in for quick healing.  
  
Actually sighing, Legolas nodded his head in hopes of hiding his relief from the searching eyes of the human. Estel seemed to watch him so closely that despite the man's words, Legolas could not help but wonder if there was a hidden trap within the conversation somewhere.  
  
"Of course," Legolas muttered, for once not protesting his own capability to protect himself, "I had tried to forget but as you guessed it is harder in the actions then the thought."  
  
"Well then, perhaps you should take some rest before dinner tonight," Estel suggested, his hand coming to fall on Legolas' shoulder in an action that once again caught the Elf off guard. "You will be attending?" The young man asked as a last thought, utterly unaware of the small flinch that ran up Legolas' spin at his contact.  
  
"Yes," the Elven prince replied with a small bow, hiding the first true emotion that had passed his face in the form of a flush. "I would not miss it for the world."  
  
A silence fell over the two of them, one that put Legolas even more on edge. Estel was peering at him intently, as if there were something on his face that had intrigued the human beyond belief. Unnerved, Legolas had the sudden urge to wipe at his face and find whatever it was that the human found to consume his concentration.  
  
"Well," Legolas said courtly and with all the charm of a prince of the Elves, needing to break the silence and get away, "it was a pleasure meeting you, Estel."  
  
"And you, Legolas."  
  
Not allowing the moment to pass, Legolas stepped to the left to go around the human, only to be met with Estel's chest, who, on instinct, had stepped to his right. Smiling slightly, Legolas moved to the right as Estel moved to his left, blocking his access again. Trying for the last time, Legolas made for the left once more, just as Estel mirrored the step.  
  
Laughing slightly to hide his aggravation, Legolas looked up into the man's eyes and bowed his head graciously. "Sorry," he muttered out while turning his entire body to his left, making it clear which way he was going so that the human could stay out of his way.  
  
Walking forward, he almost let out a fierce growl when the man went out of his way to block his path again. Anger flaring in his eyes at the realization that Estel had been doing this on purpose the entire time, Legolas glared up at the taller man with a look that would have made a band of Orcs flee.  
  
Formality be damned! No one treated him in such a way, guest of Rivendell or not.  
  
"I am not," was the answer to his hateful glare, which, at the softly spoken words, quickly turned into a scowl of confusion.  
  
"Pardon?" Legolas asked, utterly confused at why this man chose such words as he so openly blocked his way. The human could consider himself lucky for, had he been anyone else and this not Rivendell, Legolas could have lost his barely contained tempter long ago and put him in a position that saw him unable to ever block another persons path again.  
  
"I said that I was not sorry," Estel said with a self-assured smirk, "for blocking you." He added at the still confused look upon the Elf's fair face.  
  
Opening his mouth only to find that he could think of nothing to say, Legolas settled for doing what could be referred to as fish impersonations while glaring intently at the brash human.  
  
"Well, it kept you here, did it not?" Estel smiled brightly, his eyes twinkling like stars reflected upon a storm tossed sea.  
  
"And yet I have places to be," Legolas said finally and a little testily, "now, let me make this simple for you. You stay there, and I will walk to the left and go around you and be on my way. Do you follow?" Knowing that he was being slightly harsh with his epigrammatic words, Legolas offered the man a small, almost apologetic smile as he made his way to the left, putting his instructions into action.  
  
Successfully bypassing the young man, Legolas kept walking back towards the main house of Rivendell, trying to purge the thoughts of the man's words from his head.  
  
"Wait!" Estel yelled after prince before quickly jogging to catch up with the golden-haired Elf. Seeing that Legolas refused to acknowledge his presence let alone stop, Estel took a few rushed paces forward and threw himself in front of the archer again, blocking his path for the umpteenth time that day.  
  
"Surely you have a little more time to spare," Estel almost pleaded with the being that gave him a look that seemed to support the very fires of Mordor behind the ice-blue eyes.  
  
"Just as you surely have better things to do with your time then hinder my way!" Legolas rebutted, his annoyance apparent in the way he hissed the words between his teeth. "And if I do recall correctly, it was you that suggested that I should take some rest. So now, if you would - what?" Legolas demanded when he became aware that Estel's captivated gaze was one more focused upon him.  
  
"Nothing..." Estel said almost wistfully, obviously lost in thought.  
  
"No, tell me!" Legolas insisted, secretly wanting to know how it was that this human could frustrate him so and yet why he had not lifted a finger to stop it.  
  
"I was just wondering," Estel started softly while taking a step forward. Legolas mirrored that step with one back, keeping the distance between them at a constant. Moving forward again with that same self-assured smile, Legolas managed to wipe the look off the human's face as he once again moved backwards. "How the most beautiful being that I have ever seen..." Estel continued as his steps persisted, "...and quite possibly ever will see..."  
  
Again Legolas stepped back, his eyes huge as the words flowed easily from the advancing human's mouth. This was definitely not the reaction that he had thought, let alone the words that he had assumed were the cause of Estel's gazes.  
  
"...can be so damn hostile - and would you stop doing that!?" Estel finished quickly while reaching out and wrapping a strong arm around the Elf's waist, pulling him in close to his chest and stopping all hopes of Legolas' escape.  
  
Dumbfounded, Legolas found himself enclosed in Estel's arms before he could even think of doing anything to avoid the situation, not to mention contrive an action. Again lost for words, Legolas found himself doing yet another convincing impersonation of a fish as he stared open mouthed up at the human that had so boldly pulled him into his embrace.  
  
To say that he was shocked at himself was an understatement; his alias was known throughout Middle-Earth as the best assassin of his time: quick, smart, cunning - all the things that should have come naturally to him in such a moment as this. And yet they failed him, left him there unprotected and unguarded for the human to do as he pleased.  
  
Smiling at the stunned Elf, Estel wanted nothing more then to kiss those lips that were parted in such an inviting circle. Those blue-blue eyes of the Elf were staring up at him, almost begging him to make his move as his lips finally met, closing off the entrance to his mouth.  
  
Mind made up, Estel tightened his grip about the Elf's waist, pulling him in closer and making Legolas stand up straighter. Marveling at the fact that the Elf still only came up to his shoulder, Estel licked his lips lightly and leant down slowly towards Legolas' uplifted head...  
  
...Only to find that Legolas leant back in his arms at the same pace, doing much the same as he had with their steps; keeping them at a constant distance.  
  
Stopping and smiling at the Elf encouragingly, Estel moved in again, this time leaning over a little bit further, yet, as predicted, Legolas reflected his movement with a backwards one of his own, calling upon Estel's supporting arm to keep him upright.  
  
Seeing the way that the Elf lent back in his arms at an impossibly far angle, Estel half entertained the notion of letting him drop and pinning him to the ground; at least then Legolas would not be able to swindle his way out of allowing Estel to kiss him. But no, deciding that that was far too rough and primitive for the time being, Estel resolved to try once more.  
  
Hand moving to get a better grasp upon the slim waist, Estel closed his eyes and bent forward more then both other times put together.  
  
Still only air.  
  
"Let. Me. Go!" Legolas had finally found his voice once the man's eyes had closed and was fully intent on starting up quite a forcefully loud round of protests. Sure, in one swift movement he could have Estel landing head fist upon the ground, but the risks of serious damage were far too great. The last thing that he wanted to do was kill Elrond's foster son on their first meeting.  
  
Letting his eyes open, Estel saw Legolas straining to make sure that he was as far away from the human as possible without tipping them both over. As it was, had anyone been walking by at that moment, it would have been quite a sight to witness. Legolas looked as if he were a white deer caught in the light of a flaming torch while Estel looked as though he were a deprived child, desperately seeking that which he had been denied.  
  
"Allow me let you in on a little secret," Estel said warmly and with a large smile, interrupting when he knew that Legolas was going to speak again. "When I lean down to kiss you, the point is that you stay there so that we achieve the goal that we set out to accomplish."  
  
Snatching up the opportunity that Legolas' shocked silence allowed, Estel moved his free hand quickly over to cup the Elf's face while he moved his hand up to between Legolas' shoulder blades, pressing forward. Within a mere second, Legolas was pressed fully against him, his lips finally coming in contact with Estel's own.  
  
Eyes flying open even further in shock, Legolas let out a muffled protest at the swift action of the human yet, the only response that gained him was Estel's grip tightening on him as he pulled Legolas closer into both the embrace and the kiss.  
  
It was everything that Estel had dreamed of; those lips so soft, that skin so smooth and the perfect body fitting so well against his.  
  
Legolas on the other hand was convinced that he was in the midst of a nervous breakdown. Why did he feel so useless; so timid around this human? It did not make any sense! All he knew was that when Estel held him as he was at that very moment and kissed him with such passion, he wanted to throw everything else into the wind and concentrate solely on returning that fervent caress. That was what scared him, what made him want Estel to back away and to leave him alone; he could not risk giving up everything in his life for a mere human. Not based on a single kiss.  
  
And so he did the first thing that came to mind. Gone were the swift, cunning and intelligent moves of the assassin as Legolas settled for beating his hands against Estel's back and arms, trying to get the human to let go. Estel was like a leech, a large form that just could not be moved no matter how hard you pushed and prodded.  
  
Again, it was infuriating!  
  
Hand snaking its way down Legolas' cheek to rest upon the side of his neck and jaw, Estel deepened the kiss as much as the still startled Elf would allow him while running his other hand up and down the prince's back. He could tell that Legolas was shocked, and even a little frightened which came as a surprise for surely this Elf was not as innocent as he seemed.  
  
Trying to calm the fretting archer, Estel massaged the Elf's neck and jaw with his hand while restraining the want to explore the sweet mouth against his with his tongue.  
  
Knowing that he needed air and that Legolas was not becoming anymore at ease with the situation, Estel finally broke away, settling for applying a few quick, light kisses upon the slightly swollen lips in a tender parting. A small, contented sign slipped past Estel's tongue as he looked down at the being that he held.  
  
Legolas was still straining to get as far away as possible; his eyes open and huge as he stared back at the human in something akin to a cationic state. As the human watched, it was as if a fog had lifted from Legolas' eyes, and, within a second, he had wrenched himself free of the man's grasp, twisting Estel's wrist painfully as he went.  
  
Glaring at Estel, Legolas retreated, stumbling slightly in his hurry to be away from the man.  
  
"Do not ever do that again!" Legolas commanded, his voice firm and controlled as he slowed his backwards retreat. "Never!"  
  
The assassin was back, the instincts having finally recovered and taking control of the situation. The startled, confused prince had been pushed to the back, making way for the deadly and controlling mercenary that seemed to be becoming more and more of the regular personality. Fear was replaced with hatred and stunned silence was overridden with the want to put the human in his place. It took every wisp of self-control, of princely action and acknowledgement of the rules and people involved for the Elf to restrain himself from causing the over presumptuous human to suffer.  
  
Instead, Legolas merely glared at the man with his trade-mark gaze of cold and yet burning eyes before turning on his heels, his head held high, and walking from the clearing in a dignified manner, leaving a startled and rejected ranger far behind.  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Next chapter Preview:  
  
"It was nothing!" he told himself harshly and out loud as if it would have more effect upon him if the words were actually spoken. "Nothing!" Rolling his shoulders once again, he busied himself with unfastening his other gauntlet. "It meant nothing, you felt nothing - why?" he questioned himself, "Because it was nothing!" came the answer.  
  
Later on:  
  
Pulling the window shutter closed, Legolas tightened his grip on the dagger and, in one swift movement, slammed the window and ripped back the curtain. Grasping the shadow that lurked there, the prince hauled the gasping being out into the light of the room and pressed his blade under the person's neck.  
  
*****  
  
Replies to Reviews:  
  
Tainted Fortune: I am trying to update every Saturday - or sometimes Sunday - night my time. Just depends on when I have time to go over it and post. I am thrilled that you like the assassin idea - I was worried that some people would not take to it, but I have been pleasantly surprised. *Blushes* I am glad that I am able to offer you some form of entertainment, and I am greatly honored that you like my stories. But don't worry, this story will continue!  
  
Iara: Lol, I am glad that you like it and I hope that it does not disappoint you as it goes along.  
  
Sirithiliel: Thrilling? Thank you! As you can see, that was a slashy part, but as far as I can remember, that is all for a while - about two/three chapters so I hope it does not turn you off too much.  
  
Rabbit of Iron: LOL! Ok, I shall refrain from my hissing. There was a book version Bond? Wow, shows you how little I know on the subject! Lol. And yes, more sexy Legolas to come... as for the detail, lets just say that I have an overactive mind! It kind of just contrives these things and then forces my fingers to comply and actually make then happen...it is horrible sometimes! Lol. Try it out myself? Well, not the roof bit, but... *laughs* Ok, I have this habit of using (I used to use a ruler until I brought myself a set of swords) a sword to roughly work out what will happen - you know, step the left to dodge and at the same time it is possible to kick under the blow...stuff like that. But I have been thinking that I need someone to do it all for me - should be so much easier. *goes off on a search for a Rent-An-Elf outlet* But thank you, your review gave me a great laugh... "Jump that way..." *Big smile*  
  
Kael Kalespel: Thank you. As said above, battle scenes are quite...ummm...interesting to write...lol. They are one of the things that I love the most and yet they are the one thing that makes progress slow. But hey, as long as someone likes it and I have fun, I will still keep doing it. What will happen to Legolas and Estel...*evil laughter* Lets just say that you ain't seen nothing yet... *starts singing*  
  
whispers of an angel: Lol, yes, it was overly long, but that is my curse... once I start I normally can't stop! And yes, it is a lot, a hell of a lot, which will, in the long run, make the stakes even higher!  
  
Analia: Yes, it was long, very long...really long even... Grrrr. I hate pansy Legolas... I was watching the Fellowship of the Ring again the other day and for the life of my I could not see what it was that spawned so many 'Legolas is weak and needs to be carried around like a sake of potato' stories. If anything, Aragorn should be shown as the weaker one - some of the stuff that happened to him...I mean, hardly any of the Orcs even came within Legolas' personal space, let along cause the Elf need to be saved and patted like some pet! AHHHH! Ok... I am over it. On to the updates of my stories: I do try and I am trying, and I did not mean to cause you any pain over the ultimate cliffhangers. But hey, look at it from my point of view - I have to walk around day in, day out with so many ideas and concepts for so many stories swimming though my already abused mind and yet I don't even have the time to write them down, thus getting them from my head. So trust me, you are not the only one suffering here! *smile*  
  
Tainted Fortune: *Blinks* didn't I just reply to you? Lol... oh well... here we go. Yes, the sneak peaks are fun to chose - I get to look through all that I have written and chose what I know will make people anxious and yet passages that do not give too much away. Again, I am glad that you like the battle scenes.  
  
Ihni: Hello again. And yes, last chapter was the evil Minka coming through again! I try to do my best with the battle scenes - I don't like reading things like "They fought long and hard and many people lost their lives." I like to make it like some violent movie - for fun all round! Lol. But thank you anyways. As I told you, I never really thought about "Summersault" in such a way before, but now it shall be suck in *my* head and I shall have to find a replacement word...thanks! Lol.  
  
"Do not look down" it was more of a case of Legolas did not want to have to go back and drag the guy across the roof if he got height fright (ok, that was an odd term). But to his credit, Gruthfrid didn't look down and neither did he get all frozen with fear and the like.  
  
"Whelp" - LOL! Yes, ok, ok, you got me. I stole that from Pirates! But it is just such a cool and yet insulting nickname that I could not help myself.  
  
Yes, the art of killing is often lost, especially in these days with their bombs and other such weapons of mass destruction. Give me a good old sword or a piece of cord any day - so much more personal. Verdox is creepy and yes, the fact that he puts Legolas at ill ease speaks volumes and you are right, Verdox will be making another appearance later on...though for what purpose?  
  
Oh, you are bribable...that is good to know after this chapter...  
  
LOL! Believe it or not, I am already trying to work out a scene where Legolas kills someone with his pinky!! I know where I want to put it, I just need to work out how he does it... I have problems...LOL  
  
*ducks various sharp implements and hides behind a startled muse* Ok, ok ok! I will not do anything of the sort...not quite my style anyway. Plus, I think that it would be so much better if Jack was the one doing the begging... But calm down, I shall do naught in regards to such an idea...  
  
LOL! Yes, sadly that was not the longest that I have down but it was the longest in a long while (needs to find a replacement word for 'long' as it has been used for far too long! LOL) I have noticed that you are a hard one to please and that you are hardly ever satisfied... makes my life a lot harder, you know! LOL. But hey, it gives me the kick up the ass I need, so thank you.  
  
*****  
  
All right, I am finally done. Again, I hope you liked that and please leave a review!  
  
Until next time,  
  
Minka. 


	5. False Façade

Not much from me - actually not in a talkative mood. Had a shitty week if I ever knew one...*small smile* but don't worry, I am not about to pour my heart out to you all or anything.  
  
I was going to say something here about my livejournal account, but for the life of me, I can't even think about forming a proper sentence at the moment, so I am just going to leave it at; I am going to use it as an update log and a way to mass answer any questions that people may have. Will also put up chapter/story previews and inform any that look if there is to be any delays in posting. Umm, yeah, the link's on my bio page.  
  
Thank Valar this chapter was written awhile ago as it takes on a slightly more lighthearted feeling - we have Legolas talking to himself and yes, the return of the evil little voice in Legolas' head. But after this things are about to get serious again.  
  
I shan't waste any more of your time...  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter Five  
  
False Façade  
  
*****  
  
There's something inside me that  
  
Pulls beneath the surface  
  
Consuming, confusing  
  
This lack of self-control  
  
I fear is never-ending  
  
Controlling, I can't seem  
  
To find myself again  
  
My walls are closing in  
  
"Crawling" Linkin Park  
  
*****  
  
Slamming the door to his room shut, Legolas let his head bang back against the painted wood, his eyes closed as a frown creased his forehead.  
  
He was angry; angry at himself for allowing the man to do such a thing and infuriated at Estel himself for actually daring to touch him in such a way.  
  
Or was it that he was irritated due to the fact that he had almost enjoyed it? Or *had* he enjoyed it? Been excited by the forthrightness of the man that had presumed to do such a thing without his consent? Had he liked the way that Estel had pursued him even as he had backed away?  
  
Letting his head thump against the door a few more times for good measure hoping that it might knock some sense into him, Legolas let out a deep breath, trying to rid himself of the metaphorical questions that raced through his head like a wild horse.  
  
Pushing off the heavy door, Legolas rolled his head and stretched his neck, slowly loosening the tight muscles within his shoulders and collarbone as his eyes traveled over to the large, open balcony. The sun was almost setting in the far west, the fragment of light playing against the clouds and making the sky a cross between a rose pink and golden yellow. As always, the passing of the day saw the night drawing nearer, and with that came the time for dinner in the banquet halls.  
  
Groaning at the thought of having to be near the man again, Legolas absentmindedly started to unbuckle his belt. Slipping the worn leather from around his waist and allowing his tunic to hang loose, he let it drop inattentively to the floor, the object all but forgotten as soon as it had left his hands.  
  
His mind, much to his distress, kept wandering back to the garden and the man that he had met under the trees. As he started to untie the leather fastenings of his left gauntlet, he found that he seemed to remember every single moment of the encounter. The man's voice, the sparkle in his eyes, the way in which Estel had looked down at him as Legolas retreated from his approach; that thrill that had ran laps around his body as Estel finally sealed their lips.  
  
He...he hated him! He *had* to hate him!  
  
"Damn it!" he yelled as he forced his mind back to the present while throwing the harden leather arm-guard to the floor. Emitting an infuriated growl, Legolas plopped himself down on the edge of his bed, his head falling immediately into his hands.  
  
For long moments he just sat there, his attempts of getting changed for dinner utterly forgotten as he massaged his temples and willed himself to 'get a grip'.  
  
Fingertips still pressed to the sides of his head, Legolas propped his head up and looked about the room, searching with his eyes as if the answer to all his troubles would be spelt out in the walls.  
  
The room was as he had last left it, granted much tidier as he had departed in quite a rush the last time he was here. The large, soft and inviting bed lay against one wall, the actual piece of furniture on a raised dais of three steps, making it much higher then the rest of the room. The soft silken sheets were of a deep green and silver, the sooner being the fitted and the latter the one that hung in lengths over the edge of the bed. Numerous pillows lay scattered across the head of the bed, their layout both erratic and precise at the same time especially as their range of colours matched perfectly - another touch of Erestor's, no doubt. The rest of the room was dedicated to space and creating a feeling of freedom and harmony. The entire west wall was open, green drapes being the only form of enclosure as they hung from four great, marble arches. Beyond that lay a private balcony, shielded from the view of prying eyes by a tangle of trees, flowing vines and a softly bubbling river below. To his right there were two doors, one that led to the hallway and the other to a small, personal washroom. Ahead of Legolas there was a large, open fire place with a cluster of different chairs, all soft and comfortable, incase he had anyone frequent his rooms. A writing desk and chair were the only other major furnishings in the room apart from the small chest of draws and a number of smaller tables that lined the walls.  
  
It was a lovely room to say the least, one that he felt right at home in which was not an easy thing for him. It had been given to him on his first visit and since he and the twins had formed such a bond, resulting in his frequent visits, it had remained permanently set up and reserved for him alone.  
  
After his perusal of the room, Legolas caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror that stood against the far wall. Locking eyes with his reflection, the prince of Mirkwood glared himself down as if he were an enemy. Legolas looked himself up and down, sized up his weakness and flaws until he finally set his jaw tight and angles his head slightly upwards.  
  
"It was nothing!" he told himself harshly and out loud as if it would have more effect upon him if the words were actually spoken. "Nothing!" Rolling his shoulders once again, he busied himself with unfastening his other gauntlet. "It meant nothing, you felt nothing - why?" he questioned himself, "Because it was nothing!" came the answer.  
  
Standing to his feet but not before sending himself one last deadly, warning look, Legolas walked slowly over to the small door next to the mirror. Tugging on the handle a little harder then need be, he swung the door open and almost pushed himself off balance in the process.  
  
Hissing at the door - or maybe himself - Legolas set his mind to the task of finding something appropriate to wear. Ever since one of his very first visits, he had left at least two formal outfits at the Last Homely House and a number of traveling garments, yet, as time passed and he found that he slipped in more and more frequently, he had started to leave a great deal of spare clothes in his room.  
  
Searching through the folded garments, he pulled out all that would be considered formal wear and looked them over with a selective eye.  
  
There was one of a silvery blue fabric from Lothlórien, light velvet in the traditional colours of the royal family of Mirkwood and a midnight blue and black set.  
  
"Which one would Estel li-" Stopping himself mid-sentence, Legolas covered his mouth with his hand in shock, really wishing that he was able to slap himself. He could not believe that he had thought that, let alone said it out loud. He did not care what the human liked or wanted, not at all! The entire incident in the garden had been nothing; a complete misunderstanding. The only reason that it insisted on resurfacing in his mind was due to the fact that it was so unsettling and disturbing and that he really had hated the entire situation!  
  
Snatching up the slivery tunic and pants - the first on the pile - Legolas hurried himself off to his wash room, talking to himself all the way.  
  
"You are just tense, Legolas!" he chided himself, "the other night did not go quite as planned, but it is over now. You just need some time to relax; unwind. It was nothing, just the aftermath of the events of the other night - pent up steam."  
  
Closing the door to the wash room, Legolas once again glared at himself in the mirror that was in there while wondering why there had to be so many in this place. His reflection seemed to taunt him, the air behind him filled with images of a man that he did not wish to see ever again, let alone lingering above his shoulder.  
  
"Tense," Legolas said in the mirror, forcing his eyes to focus and the vision of Estel to blur and disperse. "Tired. Yes, that is it. Tired. Worn out. It was a trying night." Legolas muttered to himself as he went about poking the embers that lay beneath the raised tub, pushing them further underneath to better heat the cooling water.  
  
As Legolas waited for the water to be of a satisfactory temperature, he roamed around the room, lighting the scattered candles while still trying to fully work the kinks out of his shoulders and neck. It felt as if he had carried the world on his back, though he hardly knew why. Nothing of the other night had been that strenuous. Difficult and unexpected, yes, but nothing too physically exhausting. As the Elf pulled his tunic over his head and loosened his pants, he entertained the notion that perhaps he was simply becoming too old for the things that he did as he sunk deep into the warm water. Laughing at the foolishness of such a thought, Legolas allowed the soothing waters to take effect on his body, loosen his joints and stressed muscles as the few crushed leaves and flower buds that floated in the bath worked their magic on his mind. He was already starting to feel better, more relaxed and of stable mind.  
  
Everything would be fine. He just needed to unwind and relax for a bit and then he would be set to face the world again, his cheery Prince-like conduct fully in place.  
  
It had simply been the results of a rough night...  
  
*****  
  
The dinning hall was crowded, packed full of Elves from various places and on ranging missions and agendas, making it even easier for Legolas to slip into the crowd of those not permanently living in the fair city. That was all he wanted tonight, to be able to shrink into the background and allow others to do the talking and laughing.  
  
While he was partly granted his wish, it did not come without a great sacrifice.  
  
Legolas had found out almost as soon as he stepped into the hall that much to his distaste, he was in Rivendell without a great deal company other then Estel's. Elladan and Elrohir were off on one of their fabled hunting trips, apparently meeting up with a group of Rangers that were frequenting the area at the moment and tracking a large band of Orcs across the Misty Mountains. Their sister, Arwen, was currently in Lothlórien with her grandparents. Under any normal circumstances Legolas would have been happy about that fact, but at the moment, faced with only Estel, Arwen was starting to look like good company. In fact, the only non-disastrous occurrence that the night had to offer was Lord Elrond's request for Legolas' visit to be formal, thus Legolas found himself sitting on the right of the Elven lord with Estel sitting on Elrond's left. To Legolas' own right sat Erestor and in front of the prince sat an Elf from Lothlórien, his dinner partner for the night.  
  
The meal itself passed without any hiccups. Without the twins there, there was no one to willingly dig up old and embarrassing stories and no one that would be willing to get up to any mischief whatsoever. Legolas only had to speak to Estel once, asking him if he could pass the salt and even that went without tribulations. It was not until the dishes were being cleared and full conversation struck up that there was any mishaps at all, and even though were trivial and did not concern Legolas in the slightest.  
  
"Legolas?" The sound of his name brought his eyes flying from the patterns in the wooden table and up to meet the Elf's eyes. He had been sitting across from the prince and, much to Legolas' dismay, had been trying to make light conversation all night. The only problem was that Legolas was neither one for idle chitchat when in such a mood and had no mind for the small smiles that the other had been sending his way throughout the duration of the meal. In fact, Legolas could not even remember the others name...  
  
"Oh," Legolas offered a small, apologetic smile as he wiped at the corner of his eyes, trying to keep them showing his disinterest, "I am so sorry. What did you say?"  
  
"I asked you how Mirkwood was faring, your highness," the other prompted with a grin of his own.  
  
Inwardly groaning, Legolas tried to think of something worthwhile to tell him while pushing aside his dislike of the formal term the other had used. It did naught but remind him of the life and customs which he tried so desperately to escape and yet others seemed to think that for some strange, twisted reason, he liked them to use it as some form of flattery.  
  
"Life goes on," Legolas started, not entirely sure where he was heading with the explanation. "The Elves of Mirkwood are thriving, as is the forest closer to home, but still the darkness approaches despite the great lengths that we go to in order to keep it at bay."  
  
"It must be terrible for you," the other stated dramatically, placing within Legolas the want to roll his eyes.  
  
"Oh yes, horrible," he replied flatly as his head sunk inevitably into his left hand.  
  
"It must be refreshing to get out into the open again, I take it," the other continued, his eyes not leaving Legolas' although the prince had taken to looking around the room. After the happenings in the garden that afternoon, formality was the last thing on his mind. He did not care who saw, or who thought that it was inappropriate for him to do such, just as long as he did not have to sit there and listen to this pointless talk for too much longer.  
  
"Indeed." Again the words were flat and meaningless; simply a last attempt at remaining civil.  
  
"So," Legolas' dinner partner started up once again, obviously not getting the point, "do you have anyone waiting for yo-"  
  
"Perhaps you should get some rest, Legolas," Erestor interjected. He had just turned to see the Elven prince slumped against his hand looking extremely bored and tired while getting his pointed ear talked off by one of the less tactful Elves visiting from Lothlórien.  
  
Sending a silent thank you to the Valar for Erestor's sharp eye, Legolas turned away from his dinner partner and looked to the older Elf with a small, thankful grin.  
  
"It must have been a long journey and a trying night. No doubt you feel as if you could sleep for a week." The advisor said synthetically.  
  
Legolas could not agree with that statement more and so, it was with a light heart that he nodded his head in acceptance of the other Elf's worry. He had never really been one to accept being treated as if he would break, but at the moment is seemed best to just come to terms with the fact that they all seemed to think that he was some delicate doll that might break while seizing the opportunity to get a good night's sleep.  
  
"I am ashamed to admit that you are correct." Legolas said with a small smile, "and so I shall take your advice and retire early, with my dinner partner's and Lord's permission of course." After receiving an understanding nod from Elrond, who was at the time engrossed in an animate conversation with Glorfindel and a bow from the other Elf along with a promise to talk again soon, Legolas gracefully stood, bowed to his host and thanked Erestor for his concern before slowly and regally heading to the door.  
  
A relieved sigh passed the Prince of Mirkwood's lips as he stepped into the cool night air. It always felt good to get away from the bustling within the great dinning halls and even better if he was able to steal away early, long before he was convinced by some fool that had taken a liking to him to accompany him into the Hall of Fire in order to join in the festivities.  
  
Although it had been a jewel of discovery that he had made in the hall that night. Instead of acting his usual self while pushing his mixed annoyance and fatigue to the side, he found that if the went against almost everything that he was meant to do, in a polite fashion of course, Erestor would begin to worry and thus practically push him out the door, claiming that the prince had been attack on his way here and was in great need of rest. It was only a slight stretch of the truth, after all, he had been attacked, just not in the way that he lead them to believe. Even that little voice that felt the need to speak up whenever he did something immoral had nothing to say about it, which Legolas took as a good sign.  
  
At the moment there was nothing that he wanted more then to get into something a little more comfortable and crawl into bed. His shoulders had resumed their throbbing after the soothing effects of his hot bath wore off and he was utterly unsure as to whether or not he could keep his back straight and shoulders back for much longer. The fact that he had no clue as to what made them hurt so was also an interesting one for, in all truthfulness, he had done naught that should have aggravated them except for the possibility of pulling the guard onto the roof rafters. Perhaps it was simply his body's way of informing him that it was time to take a small break.  
  
Intent on going straight to his room, Legolas found his night's peace and dreams of comfort shattered with one yelled word.  
  
"Legolas," Estel called as the Elf made his way from the hall.  
  
At the sound of his name and the recollection of the voice, Legolas let out a small growl of annoyance before gradually slowing his pace, his shoulders dropping despite himself. It would not be preferable to completely shun the young man and, if Estel was here for what he hoped then it would be the perfect opportunity to put that afternoons actions far behind them. By the time Estel had caught up to the Elf, Legolas had set his face into his usual passive and emotionless façade, ready to face the human and hopefully get rid of the boy once and for all.  
  
Falling into step with the Elf, Estel looked the archer over, his features almost betraying him as he was once again stunned by the beauty before him. "May I have a word?"  
  
"I believe you have already had a few," Legolas pointed out with a barely disguised snarl. Maybe the human was not as dense as most and he would obtain the hint behind Legolas' actions and just leave him alone...?  
  
"About this afternoon - in the garden," Estel started, his voice wavering slightly as he blundered in the choosing of his words.  
  
Taking pity upon the man, Legolas stopped his walking and turned to face Estel, a smile upon his face and his eyes kind. "It is all right. It was a misunderstanding, that is all," Legolas offered him, feeling for sure that that was what Estel had been about to say.  
  
"Nay!" the human half shrieked, his eyes opening wide and his mouth dropping open.  
  
"Nay?" Legolas queried with a small quirk of his eyebrow.  
  
"Nay," the human breathed out while looking down at the Elf, a small smile playing across his lips. "It was not nothing. I...I." The words seemed to refuse to come to him and, under Legolas' steady gaze, Estel felt his courage drain away like a receding tide.  
  
Deciding to allow his actions to speak for him, Estel reached out quickly and wrapped both arms tightly around the Elf's waist, pulling him right up against his chest and forcing Legolas to tilt his head upright.  
  
"Estel!" Legolas protested, his hands flying to his lower back where he made to pull the man's off him.  
  
"Please," Estel pleaded, "give me a moment to explain. Please."  
  
Utterly torn, Legolas merely narrowed his eyes at the human as he looked him up and down. The last thing that he needed was an enemy in Rivendell, especially one with such a social standing as the human but at the same time he was completely sick of being treated in such a matter. Finally deciding on a compromise, Legolas went about tugging at the man's hands anew.  
  
"You may have your moment," he started, the words barely formed as he forced them out through grinding, clenched teeth, "though it shall not be in thus manner. Now unhand me!"  
  
"But..."  
  
"Now!" The element of command in the Elf's voice was not lost to the human, and, fearing that he should anger the prince even more, Estel hesitantly let go of the other's waist.  
  
"Just do not go running off on me," Estel counted with a command of his own as Legolas fully pulled himself from the man's grip.  
  
As the man told him what he could and could not do, Legolas' eyes flared before returning to their near constantly narrowed state. It seemed that all he been doing was frowning since he arrived and, glaring at the human once again, Legolas knew that it was all because of Estel. Oh how he wished that they were both somewhere else where it would not matter if he taught him a thing or two on manners.  
  
"Then be out with it so I can continue on my way," Legolas said with a dismissive yet commanding wave of his right hand - something that he had learnt to do years ago at his father's court. It seemed to cause others a great deal of discomfort for reasons that Legolas could only guess at. Arms crossing over his chest, his weight shifting to his left foot and his head held slightly to the right, Legolas settled for watching the human, all the while wondering what fabrication Estel would contrive.  
  
"Today, in the garden," Estel started, only to see the small but visible sigh and slight roll of the eyes that acted as the Elf's response. Trying his best to ignore the reaction of Legolas, Estel expelled his own sigh before plowing head on into his explanation. "I do not think that it was a mistake nor do I think that you truly do. I saw something in your eyes..."  
  
"That would have been shock and despondency," Legolas interrupted before allowing the human to even think he could tell Legolas what he felt. That was not the way that things happened!  
  
"Call it what you will," Estel continued, ignoring the statement from the Elf just as he dismissed the persistently harsh glare that Legolas sent his way. "But I am not afraid to admit that I felt something!"  
  
"I am not afraid!" Legolas protested in shock, his weight shifting to his right leg as his face moved closer to Estel's to better prove his point, "'tis just that I shall not admit to something that I did not feel in the first place!"  
  
"You felt something!" Estel  
  
"Fine, I did," Legolas admitted quickly and before the human had the chance to open his mouth, "the want and need to gag!"  
  
At this Estel just grunted, his fingers curling as his jaw tightened. They were getting nowhere, that was obvious but he refused to give up. He had known from the moment that he resolved to have words with the Elf that it would be difficult, yet how hard he had never quite imagined, but he was determined to get what needed to be said out in the open.  
  
"Silence!" Estel commanded and enforced it by reaching out and pressing the palm of his hand over Legolas' mouth just before the Elf was about to speak. Eyes flaring open and body tensing, for the first time in years Legolas found himself fighting against that murderous instinct that rose inside of him. So easy, to just reach up and grab that hand, snap the wrist, fracture the arm and end the attack with his elbow braking open the human's nose...so easy... One swift move, three seconds and it could all be over. So easy and yet forbidden.  
  
Cursing Rivendell, Lord Elrond, his father, his social standings, and anything else he could contrive, Legolas merely settled for forcefully jerking his head away from the contact and taking a large step back, warning written clearly in his eyes.  
  
"You are not doing yourself or your cause any favors, human," Legolas spat out with a snarl. His body was itching for action; to be thrown head on into another fight and the actions of the man before him did naught to sate that lust.  
  
"I am merely trying to gain the time to say what needs to be said!" Estel shot back, not daring to take a step forward. He had seen that look in Legolas' eyes; wild and untamed and, truth be told, it had frightened him a little. It was something that he could not place, something that was so unnatural to most Elves that he could not infer what it was.  
  
"Fine!" Legolas sighed, once again crossing his arms in a sign of disinterest, "just hurry up!"  
  
"You are infuriating, you know that?"  
  
"As are yo-"  
  
"Do not speak, just let me finish!" Estel almost shouted, his right arm shaking in a way to emphasize his words. "I was thinking long and hard on this all afternoon," Estel continued, "I could not get you out of my head and yet at the same time your last words seemed to repeat over and over again. I was brash, I admit that, and even slightly irrational and I guess threatening. So, I shall respect your request not to be kissed, not until you ask to be-"  
  
"That, I assure you, shall never happen," Legolas said coldly, before allowing the human his right to talk.  
  
Glaring at the Elf once again, Estel had to ask himself why he was bothering at all. Legolas was impossible! Over his years, Elrohir had been found of reminding Estel just how difficult he could be but now, after witnessing Legolas, Estel swore that he could not have been that bad.  
  
"...But at the same time I shall not let you slip through my fingers," the human continued, all the while wishing that he had formulated something a little better and a little more classy to say. "Whether or not you wish to admit it, there was something..."  
  
"Oh please," the Elven prince practically laughed out, not able to keep his silence a moment longer. "Spare me, for I have heard it all more times that you could imagine. 'We were meant for each other, Legolas,'" he mocked, "'Tis prewritten in fate and destiny that we should be together'. Do you know how tedious something as superficial and small-minded as that becomes after a few centuries?"  
  
The look that passed over Estel's' face was something akin to defeat and yet riddled with utter anger. He had expected it to be hard but never did he think that it would turn out like this. Legolas' mocking seemed to revolve around in his head, the words turning over and over again in a snide jest and before he knew it, he found himself over the edge and without a foothold.  
  
"Why must you be so difficult?" Estel finally yelled, his temper stretched far past the point of no returns.  
  
"And why must you refuse to accept the fact that I am not interested?" the Elf shouted back, by now not caring in the slightest if anyone heard them. This had gone far enough, had touched upon too many things that Legolas wished never existed. Sure, he had had a conversation that resembled this with many people in his life time, but never had he actually felt anything more then disdain for them. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that it was all just a figment of his fatigue, there was that little voice - probably the same annoying little one that acted as his conscience - telling him that he was lying to himself. That he had felt something and that before in his room he had seen Estel in the mirror as a result of that *something*.  
  
"Because I am not a simpleton," Estel yelled back, "I can see. Your eyes, they betray you no matter how much you like to think that you have them under control, they are the one thing that you cannot cloak in your false pretences, Legolas!"  
  
"Do not presume, not even for a second, that you know me, Estel, for you do not." Legolas shot back, his face and the tips of his ears starting to redden in his hate. "You know nothing about me and thus you have no hope of correctly deducing something that you believe you see in me."  
  
"And why do you think that I know nothing about you?" Estel demanded, fully expecting an answer.  
  
Never one to disappoint, Legolas took a dangerous step forward, branching the gap that had existed between them for the last few moments and hissed right into the human's face, "Because I do not want you to!"  
  
Jaw clenched in defiance, his eyes hard as stone, Estel replied, his tone now cool and clam, "Fine!"  
  
"Good!"  
  
"I am glad that we had this conversation, your highness!" It was Estel's turn to mock, offering Legolas a small bow as he slurred the last two words.  
  
"As am I!" Legolas confirmed harshly and full of hatred. "Now let me lie to you and say that it was a pleasure talking with you and thus allow us to both move on with our lives." The Elf growled as he turned away from the red faced man, his hair catching on the slight wind that his movement created and sending it spinning lightly out before cascading back down his shoulders.  
  
Walking away, Legolas could feel the man's eyes on his back, watching his every move. Careful to keep his steps heavier then normal and his posture straight and regal, Legolas told himself over and over that the man was not right. He had not felt anything that afternoon and he never would.  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Really...I think the reason Estel does not know Legolas is because the poor Elf has only been there a day, but that did not sound half as good! Lol.  
  
*****  
  
Next chapter preview:  
  
Finally uncurling his fingers, Legolas allowed the string of his bow to snap back to place, releasing the built up tension and with that the arrow. The shaft flew with a speed and grace that even struck the Elf as being astounding before burying its head deep into the center of the wooden target, a hair breadth from the last that he had fired.  
  
Later on:  
  
The heat of the flames hardly touched him as he started up into the branches of a tall tree, foreshadowed by the flickering flames. Lips pursed together and eyes narrowed, Legolas walked slowly across the burning grass, his eyes never once straying from his target.  
  
*****  
  
Replies to reviews:  
  
CareLess: Hello and welcome to your first experience with 'Mink's insane replies to reviews which will leave you wishing that she did not in fact reply'! AHHHHHH!!!! *Bursts into hysterics* Yes, PePe LePew!!!! I never thought of that!!! But yes, oh my god, it is so true! And the way that the cat used to wiggle out of his arms and run like hell while he would merely bound after her with little love hearts above his head! That was such a disturbed cartoon! Lol. But yes, you are so right, it does seem like that - should change the chapter title to 'PePe LaPew Reflections' or something... so you don't want me to tell you if someone is going to die? All right then, I won't - I shall keep the ending all under wraps! But yes, I seem to have a issue with killing people, Elves especially but I shall not say anymore. Anyway, thank you for reviewing - it is always delightful to see new faces - and I sincerely hope that you continue to enjoy the story!  
  
Eddie Uwnhai: like always, thank you for your wonderful help. I shall be sure to make the corrections when I actually have a moment to spare. Thank you!  
  
Sirithiliel: All right, as far as I can see into the future of this story, there shall only be one really "slashy" scene and then the rest will pretty much be just hinted at as, lets face it, I am shocking at writing it! I am sorry if it leaves you mentally scared so I shall try and infuse it with as much action and violence as possible which, knowing me, is actually quite a lot! Lol.  
  
Rabbit of Iron: *Sits there sharpening swords...* Well, I guess at least now I know that there were books before the movies...guess it is true: you learn something every day! Lol. *watches you crumble to the floor as your knees go weak...three seconds late she makes a move to catch you...* sorry, the reflexes are kinda slow at the moment! LOL. I am so glad that you liked it! And yes, the times you need a Rent-An-Elf!!! Though I am unsure of what I would do as I really don't like stupid chin-fuck guy (Arafuck...opps, did I say that, I meant Aragorn! Lol)  
  
Iara: I hope you are not going to be disappointed! And thank you kindly for your review!  
  
whispers of an angel: Oh, there is always hope for a 'pinky murder'! As I said, I am in the process of working it out...  
  
Kael Kalespel: *Cackles with you* I am glad you like Estel and his ahem, shall we say, 'Legolas infatuation'? Lol, yes, believe it or not I find it incredibly hard to write a deadly serious slash scene...I don't know why, but they always turn out to have a bit of humor hidden in there somewhere so I a glad that you found it funny! Well, this chapter answered most of your questions - though it only really touched the surface, but still. There will be another assassination and a few more surprises in chapter seven!  
  
Analia: *Big smiles* I am glad that I am able to brighten your day. And you thought the bickering was cute? Ah, good, good! I love to see them fight - though it went a little too far here, but it sets up later quite nicely... May I ask why you did not expect it? Yes, Estel was quite pushy, but it was either do it that way or add in another chapter or two of boring chit-chat so I opted for the 'fast-pushy Estel with explanations later' (as in what you just read). Yes, assassination is an art! AHHHHHHH!!!!! Return of the King trailer!!!!!!!! Did you see the SUPER HOT AND SEXY Elf WITH THE HOOD?????????????????????????? *faints, drools, passes out and falls off the seat...in very random orders...* But ahh, *fans self down* it looks great. And did you see that lovely little bit at the end with Legolas surrounded by all the Orcs? Wow, the plotbunnies really kicked in for that part so yes, Minka has yet another 'Legolas death fic' posted...I really need to stop doing that! Lol. Other skills? *acts innocent* which other skills? Lol. But oh, he will find out soon...maybe...  
  
Tainted Fortune: Lol, oh, do not apologize! It gave me something to puzzle over for a little while and then another review to reply to - fills in the time! Lol. Yes, Estel moves fast - really too fast in my opinion, but for the sake of sanity, if he did not make him move soon, then all that I have preplanned would need to be pushed back and there would have to be a number of pointless, boring chapters in the middle. It is just better this way. The knife part is next chapter and you shall just have to wait and see who it is...  
  
*****  
  
That's me finally done. Thank you and all that stuff that I normally say  
  
Minka 


	6. The Stranger Within

Well, this chapter is...er...interesting... you get many peculiar things... leering paintings, dancing candle light, the origin of the word 'pimp', and flopping Elven ears... In short...be afraid...be very afraid! Oh, and an odd little battle scene at the end where I SO stole the 'Scorpion Kick' from Trinity in the opening scene of The Matrix Reloaded! Lol. Also, be happy, it is a little shorter then most chapters have been recently - this one is only 15 pages long... yes, I worry about myself...  
  
Enjoy!  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter Six  
  
The Stranger Within  
  
*****  
  
Legolas felt as if he were about to explode. His blood had heated, his face burned, and his hands were clenched into such tight fists that even his short fingernails had the capability of digging into his skin. He felt as if he were trapped, as if the walls were closing in on him as he stormed down the long corridors of the main house of Rivendell. Paintings leered and watched his every move, stones laughed and the very air seemed to whisper taunts of such a kind that Legolas wanted to cover his delicate ears and never hear again.  
  
He did not like Estel! He was not upset about hurting his feelings and he was incredibility angry about what happened in the garden: not at all pleased! He did not care what the walls sort to tell him nor for the way in which the portraits winked at him in a suggestive manner...what did they know anyway?  
  
By the time the Elven Prince reached the door to his room he was thoroughly convinced that he was going insane, that he had a headache and that if his surroundings did not stop taunting him he was going to give them an earful.  
  
His room greeted him with blissful silence, the walls within opting to offer the prince relief instead of more false accusations and the darkness shrouding anything that may feel the need or want to sneer at him with absurd suggestions.  
  
A single candle stood burning near the door, having obviously been lit by one of the housekeepers at the setting of the sun. With a wistful sigh, Legolas lent down and picked it up, mindful of the wax which threatened to run down the long pillar and coat his hands. He moved slowly about his room, knowing full well where everything was and yet not having the energy or the will to make his way across the room in his normal swift pace. He was just longing for sleep, to be able to completely unwind and allow his mind to clear of everything. Of the past nights activities, of any and all thoughts of Estel and especially of the irritating need to be forever proper and respectable; the dignified Prince of Mirkwood.  
  
Reaching the table by the edge of his bed, he angled the candle that he carried down slightly and lit the tall pillar that sat on the polished surface. As soon as the wick caught alight the room was transformed from a collection of dark shapes into recognizable objects, the oranges, yellows and reds of the candle light casting a soft glow over everything as the small flame flickered up and around the wick. The light was soothing, reliving. Unlike the strong and bright glow of the dinning halls, the two candles helped to put Legolas at ease with the way in which their light danced with the darkness which had previously claimed the room for its own, their intricate steps reflected upon the pale walls and making the paint glow like the moon.  
  
A soft clunk resounded around the room as he placed the first candle over on the chest near his bed and grabbed the nightclothes that lay folded on the corner. A soft clunk that was closely followed by another...one which was not of Legolas' doing.  
  
Attention soaring, all thoughts of the peaceful appearance of his chambers banished from his mind, Legolas listened intently to the tiniest sounds around him as he pulled his garments into his arms. Slowly walking towards the wash room in the same manner that he had across his room before, he made sure that naught about his actions portrayed his awareness, even as his senses suddenly pricked up at a faint sound.  
  
An exhale of breath.  
  
Acting as if he had not heard it, Legolas kept his eyes towards the washroom and his steps deliberately slow and lethargic while all the while focusing in on where the sound had come from.  
  
The right side of the room...the back corner...the second window...the curtain!  
  
His senses had already confirmed that it was not just a small gust of wind and the strange feeling of being watched had already kicked in. Perhaps he had not been insane when he had felt as if the painting were watching him in the hallways.  
  
With all the grace of an exhausted prince, Legolas placed his clothes down on a stool in the washroom whilst subtly pulling a curved dagger from his boot. Flicking his wrist, he sent the blade parallel to his arm, hiding it behind his armguard while still keeping a deadly hold on the soft leather bound handle.  
  
Muttering something softly to himself about it being drafty, he crossed the room to the window in fluent, silent steps, not allowing his attention to roam to the curtain even once else risking the chance of the intruder noticing. Pulling the window shutter closed, Legolas tightened his grip on the dagger and, in one swift movement, slammed the window and ripped back the curtain. Grasping the shadow that lurked there, the prince hauled the gasping being out into the light of the room and pressed his blade under the person's neck. His other arm wrapping around the figures upper body, he pushed the stranger closer into the knife as he placed a foot behind those of his intruder, keeping him in a tight position and allowing him to easily trip the foreigner if need be.  
  
"Easy," the captive said while trying to back away slightly, only succeeding in hitting into Legolas' foot and being knocked off balance.  
  
Having half a heart to just drop the man, having automatically recognized the voice, Legolas sighed as he retracted the dagger from the human's throat and stood back, pulling the man to poise as he did so.  
  
"Thank you," the other muttered as he self-consciously started to straighten up the front of his dark tunic, "you were always so warm on the welcoming aspect! What? Are you not happy to see your good old friend?"  
  
"Shh!" Legolas hissed at the man, even the way that he simply hissed coming out as a threat. "Remind me of the day that I have ever been happy to see you, Rolf!" Legolas whispered as he slotted the dagger back into his boot. "How did you get in here anyway?" Legolas continued suspiciously as he hurried over to the main door of his room. Silently turning the handle, Legolas pulled the door open and poked his head through the small slit, looking down both ends of the corridor. He was not willing to go taking any chances with anyone overhearing the conversation, let alone run the risk of some poor Elf thinking that he may need assistance. The last thing that he needed was for someone to come barging through that door to catch any scraps of speech and find a stranger of Rivendell making himself at home in the Prince's chambers.  
  
Satisfied that there was no one, namely Estel, creeping about outside his quarters, Legolas turned his attention back on the human that stood patiently across the room, regarding him with unhidden curiosity.  
  
"Now, now," Rolf chided with a small laugh, "you know that I never reveal my secrets, Legolas. It is what keeps me ahead in the race, you see!"  
  
Scoffing to himself, his eyes rolling on their own accord and his head turning away from the human for a moment, Legolas once again looked to the flickering candle that stood by his bed...his comfy, soft, warm bed that would help to clear his mind...  
  
"Fine," Legolas sighed, not wanting this to carry on for any great length of time as it took away from the sleep that he so desperately needed. "I do not think that I want to know anyway. But new question, *what in Valar's name are you doing here*?" he hissed out angrily, the candle light dancing across his narrowed eyes and plunging the hollows of his face into darkness.  
  
"Well it is nice to see you to, Legolas," Rolf spat out sarcastically, "how are you? Life treating you well? Me? Why, I am fine, thanks for asking! 'Tis so kind of you to do so!"  
  
"Rolf!"  
  
"Always so proper. Never any niceties or inviting me around for drinks and to meet your friends..." Rolf continued, knowing that with each word he spoke he was testing Legolas' patience even further. Indeed it was a dangerous thing to do, but he was always one that liked to 'flirt with danger' as he so put it. "I do not hear from you, you never write let alone pop in and say 'hello'! My cousin Marten had a child by the way. Well, he did not, but Lucinda did - you know what I mean!"  
  
Legolas' face just crumbled, his tightly drawn mouth dropping to the point of hanging slightly open as his eyes rolled back into his head which fell forward while his shoulders dropping painfully. Skulking over to the bed, he dropped unceremoniously onto the end and buried his head in his hands, cursing the Valar yet again for sending him far too many annoying acquaintances.  
  
He already knew that there was no point in protesting, no chance this side of Mordor that he would be able to get the man to stop talking, that is, not unless he killed him, and given the circumstances that was not a good idea. One, a human body found murdered in Rivendell would do no good and would likely spark conflict with the surrounding towns, something that the Elves did not need. Two, killing him would be bound to be messy and, not only did Legolas not want to have to clean up after the act, he had the sneaking suspicion that Rolf would somehow still be able to talk even without a head. And lastly, as much as he hated to admit it, he needed Rolf. This upstart of a human was his contact, his 'pimp' as Rolf liked to call himself, though Legolas had no clue what the word actually meant. In fact, he was pretty much convinced that Rolf had either made the word up or had no knowledge of the meaning himself. All Legolas knew was that Rolf was the one that brought his clients to him. With his status, Legolas could not simply go walking into a known hideout of less then respectable beings and just hope not to be seen, so that was were Rolf would come into it. As someone who had grown up around those types of people, he was the perfect person to hear of future jobs and, in some cases give those doing the conspiring the needed push to put their thoughts into actions. He would then arrange a meeting place and a date which he would pass onto Legolas, who would meet with the client and find out the finer details. The rest was then up to Legolas and the conspirator though of course Rolf received his cut of the reward. While he did not need the types of Rolf to help him with the actual job, he would be lost without the boy to actually get him the job in the first place, and, given his occasionally homicidal urges, Legolas was not entirely sure if he was ready to get rid of Rolf quite yet...  
  
"...Lovely baby boy, he is. Dark hair, grey eyes, overly bold - you would like him!"  
  
The last part of Rolf's babbling caught Legolas' attention, the sly tones of his voice bringing Legolas' head snapping up to glare at the human.  
  
"What did you say?" the Elf demanded of the smirking man. It was not that he really needed the man's speech repeated for it was merely a reaction to the way in which the others voice dripped with suggestion. Well, that and the fact that Legolas knew all too well what it was that he was suggesting.  
  
"Resembles that dashing, though rather audacious, young fellow that you were making eyes with - well, tongue with in the garden earlier today..."  
  
"WHA-"  
  
"Now, now Legolas, do not go losing your temper with me like you did him. You know it will get you nowhere as, unlike him, your fiery personality will not attract me, but shall turn me away." Offering the startled Elf one of his best and biggest smiles, Rolf turned his attention from the other and started to pace around slowly. "Now, where was I? Oh yes, you know it would be polite if you would came and offer your thanks once in awhile, meet my family...though, then again, if I had such a passionate secret relationship with such a great kisser then I..."  
  
"We are not together!" Legolas protested in anguish, the mere idea turning his insides and making him almost woozy. Glaring up at the man, he saw him nod his head in forged understanding as he winked repetitively at the Elf.  
  
"Of course not..." Rolf's eyes lit up, his hand moving to cover the base of his collar bone as he let out a dreamy sigh. "Your secret is safe with me!" he mouthed over to the stunned Elf.  
  
"No! I mean it! I hate him!"  
  
"Of course you do!" Legolas wanted nothing more then to beat that patronizing tone out of the man's voice...well, that and wipe that half dreamy, half jealous look from his face.  
  
"Rolf! Listen to me!" the Elf said slowly, sounding out ever syllable as if he were teaching a small child to pronounce a word correctly, "I. Do. Not. Like. Him! I do not even *know* him!"  
  
At that Rolf's face fell and his posture slumped as a wistful look full of longing overtook his features. "Oh, what I would not give to be in one of those relationships," he sighed out as he looked upon the Elf with jealousy, "knowing people is so overrated anyway. As long as they can..."  
  
"ROLF!" Legolas interjected before he found out far more then he ever wanted to know about the human. As it was they were treading dangerous ground. It was a personal rule of Legolas'; never get attached. You never know who is going to try and stab you in the back or which innocent will get hurt due to being associated with you.  
  
"Rolf, please, cut to the chase. Why are you here?" Legolas asked, his patience finally worn out. Why should he care what Rolf thought he was up to anyway? Let him believe that he and Estel were involved in some great love affair; it was not like he had anyone to tell.  
  
"Ah, see, I knew that you would ask that sooner or later." Rolf said with a big grin and with that same, almost insane tone of voice as he completely ignored Legolas who tried to point out that he had in fact asked the same question awhile ago. "I do in fact have another job for you - you are quite popular, you know! Guess we can all see why, especially if you treat people that you do not know like you did that young man..."  
  
"He kissed me, not the other way around..." Legolas slipped in, knowing full well that Rolf was paying no heed to him whatsoever.  
  
"That's nice," Rolf replied, though Legolas was sure he could have told Rolf that he resembled an Orc and he still would have received the same response. "But anyway, that...well, let just say that that is not the *real* reason for my coming all the way here! And it is an awfully long way, I will have you know!"  
  
Waiting for Legolas to nod his understanding, Rolf then proceeded to make a show of reaching into his left breast pocket, imitating the sound of a drum roll with his tongue as he produced a folded sheet of paper.  
  
"Da-da-dum. You should be proud!" he stated with a bow while handing the parchment over to the seated Elf. As Legolas' fingers closed around one corner, he found that the young man was unwilling to let the letter go and thus he was made to sit there, holding onto half the paper as Rolf continued to talk.  
  
"Never before have the stakes been so high, let alone one of out humble few having been," he paused, his eyes rolling to the side and his lower lip disappearing between his teeth as he searched for the right word, "shall we say...nominated!"  
  
Snatching the note from the other, Legolas inspected the weather worn parchment with a curious eye before slowly unfolding it. "Nominated?" he asked as he opened the last crease.  
  
Eyes quickly scanning over the Westron words, Rolf could visibly see Legolas' face drain of all colour. His hands started to shake as his eyes expanded in a fashion that looked as if they were attempting to take over his entire face. Even the tips of his ears, normally a slight rosy-red went pale and, in his rumor entertained mind, Rolf imagined that if the Elf before him really wanted to, those points could flop in defeat, adding further visuals to his woe.  
  
After a few moments of utter silence, the relative calm of the room was finally broken in a way that gave suggestion to the fact that all of Rivendell would now be awake...  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
*****  
  
He had been pacing for almost an hour - back and forth, back and forth. To the window, to the washroom door and back again, pausing only to stare intently at the piece of paper, checking to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him, before scoffing and starting up again. The sheet of paper looked as if it were years and years old, it having been folded again and again while being turned around in the pacing Elf's hands.  
  
Legolas was horrified to say the least. Granted that he was not scared, though he knew that he should be, he just seemed to have difficulty getting his head around the entire situation.  
  
Who in Valar's name would put two thousand gold pieces on his head? Did they not know what they had done? Not only would he officially have every fool with a sword or pitchfork trying to get his head, he now ran the risk of someone seeing this. What if his father saw this, or Lord Elrond? Admittedly, it did not say his name or the fact that he was Elven royalty, or even the fact that he was an assassin, but the picture was real enough and, even someone with only half the normal senses would be able to tell that it was he. His picture with a reward of two thousand gold pieces written in large, bold writing was floating around in places that only the Valar knew. There was not even a contact listed! No time or place to claim the reward, making it all the more dangerous. He had no way of trying to backtrack the progress of the flyers, especially since Rolf had picked some random man's pocket only to chance upon this. He did not even know whom it was that he stole it from.  
  
To say that this was not a good thing would have been the understatement of his lifetime!  
  
"Now, contra to what you may be inclined to think," Rolf finally broke the silence, his index fingers raised in the air to state his point, "I did not come here to collect the reward - though I must say, two thousand gold pieces...my, my!"  
  
"Shut up and let me think!" Legolas snapped at the human, his pacing still in full swing as he folded the paper back up again.  
  
"Oh, I forgot that you can be a little testy sometimes," Rolf muttered to himself, his eyes drifting down to examine his nails.  
  
"Rolf, let me make this simple for you," Legolas offered as he stopped right in front of the man, "I have a great disdain for your race and if you so much as make another sound, I promise that you shall have a first hand encounter with the product of my hatred!"  
  
Rolf's eyes merely widened in shock and surprise at the Elf's threat, knowing full well that it was not wise to test Legolas' word. Annoying him was one thing, but when the Elf was in such a mood, even he saw the logic in either making himself scarce or being utterly silent in hopes of allowing the Elf to forget of his presence. Making a dramatic point of pressing his lips together and raising his hands in a form of compliancy, Rolf settled for sitting back in his chair and watching the Elf continue with his pacing. It was rather quite interesting if you looked at it in a certain light...  
  
"Anyway," Rolf piped up after awhile, his courage returning - either that or it was desperation setting in due to the fact that he wanted to be gone as soon as possible. Legolas' constant pacing was starting to put him on edge. Normally the Elf was bursting with energy and unbridled excitement at the prospect of a new job. But this? This was just unnatural. His silence, his rhythm and the way in which he persisted to stare at the flyer actually placed a small smidgen of fear in Rolf's heart - fear that Legolas would suddenly just snap, that his anger would well up and that he would take it out on Rolf. Now that was something to be greatly feared...  
  
"As I said, I have another job for you," Legolas' 'pimp' continued, "Real heart wrenching stuff, if you know what I mean. Son wants his old father and village overlord dead so that he can claim his estate and 'set things right within the village.' The way I hear it, the son lost all his money in a bet and thus needs a quick fix to save his head. So what better way to gain wealth quickly then by having your own father whacked in his sleep?"  
  
"Charming," Legolas muttered to himself, his eyes still locked onto the reward poster as he continued his pacing.  
  
Frowning at the Elf's actions and obvious disinterest, Rolf bit his lower lip and snuck across the room towards the small table. "Well, since you are all for listening to me at the moment," he said as he pulled a wad of paper from one of his pockets and snapped open the pot of ink on Legolas' desk, "I shall just write down everything that you need on this little piece of paper here and leave it for you to peruse at a later date. No meeting is necessary as the client wants it over and done with. So just do your thing and he will be waiting for you at...and you are not even listening to me. How nice!"  
  
"Yaha," Legolas murmured, words now seeming to be placed in the same category as paying attention: non-existent.  
  
"Well then, since we are on such a high note," Rolf said while slowly stepping backwards and towards the window, his hands raised in front of his body in defense, "I guess that I shall be going." He offered the Elf a small bow, touched his closed fist to his forehead, blew him a kiss and wiggled his fingers, his mind telling him to do whatever he could to get the hell out of that room before the Elf blew. "Have fun, enjoy life, kill the old guy and get as many of those 'I was not kissing him' kisses as you possibly can!"  
  
With that he retreated out of the room and swung easily onto one of the closer tree branches, leaving the almost catatonic Elf to his pacing and thoughts.  
  
*****  
  
The utterly satisfying sound of wood splitting into wood resounded around the small clearing, taking some of the troubles from the anxious Elf. After Rolf's visit the night before, Legolas had naught in the way of sleep, his thoughts much too troubled to even allow his mind a moment's rest. The rest of the darkened hours were spent in contemplation. He had paced the night away, his hands folded behind his back and his head lowered as he walked circles around his bedroom. Even the time that he had spent on his balcony, looking out into the moon and firefly lit forests had done little to calm the speeding of his heart or silenced the questions that raced about his mind. In the end, he had resided himself to mindless pacing until the morning hours came, bringing with them a touch of slightly renewed concentration. He skipped breakfast, not wishing to be within the company of anyone with his present state of mind and had instead gone over and over the plans and notes that Rolf had given him, successfully formulating an unflawed line of attack for his next job.  
  
He had decided, after thinking long and hard on it, to delay the assignment for another day or so, this conclusion reached due to a number of circumstances. For one, his mind was far to preoccupied to be trusted to be fully alert, clear and rational if faced with a difficult situation and two, his excuse for leaving would seem more believable if delayed for as long as possible. Legolas planned to inform Lord Elrond that he wished to travel the countryside of Rivendell and reacquaint himself with the wonders of the forest that he had not visited for many a year. The only problem with such an excuse was his claim to fatigue the night before. If he were to attempt to leave today and Erestor were to find out his plans, Legolas was more then sure that the advisor would do all within his power to keep the Prince in the city or worse, insist that Legolas be accompanied by an escort. It was needless to say that both instances were the worst case scenario and would only cause more problems then what the day's head start was worth.  
  
Thus acquiescent to his fate, Legolas had turned his attention to a small clearing that he recalled from the days that he and Elrohir used to practice their bowmenship. He had been there for close to three hours and within that time there was hardly a moment when he bow left his hand. Draw, hold, release, fetch. Such a steady rhythm and unchallenged sequence of events did wonders with quenching both his anger and the hits of fear that ebbed at the corner of his conscience.  
  
Left eye squinting only slightly, Legolas fluently drew one of the long, slender arrows from the quiver strapped to his back, gripping just above the fletching with curved fingers. The arrow slipped from the quiver with a move so smooth and quick that it was hard to see, and it was not until the notch at the top of the shaft surrounded the string that any onlooker could correctly conclude what was occurring. As Legolas pulled back on the string with his right arm, his elbow bent and stretched out to his side without so much as the slightest of muscle spasms as would be expected when drawing a bow of such strength and resilience. Feet apart, left in front and body sideways to the target, Legolas easily kept the string pulled back, defeating the constant need for the Elven-hair line to snap back to its place and for the bowed wood to return to its original shape. Legolas allowed his head to move forward, his cheek coming to rest of his wrist bone as his right eye fell naturally into line with the shaft. He could see the perfectly straight line of the arrow, the slightly rounded base of the tip before it fell away to a razor sharp point, and the dead centre of the target - all that he would ever need to see.  
  
His movements were so slow and yet so rehearsed, showing his need to fell grounded to something. Larnfield, Estel, the bounty on his head. Within merely the last two nights his known world had abandoned him, leaving him stranded, completely lost and feeling utterly vulnerable and out of control. He needed familiarity, to feel that he was apart of something and that despite all that had transpired, there were still things that he was wholly in control of. For someone like himself, someone whose entire life revolved around his knowledge that he could trust his actions and that his thoughts were stable and sound, his current situation seemed like a harsh slap in the face before being disarmed and shoved to the ground in submission. He could not trust his actions since he was unable to hold confidence in his thoughts; not while they all spoke of apprehension and, strangely enough, Estel. Everything that he was sure he had been had just turned away from him, the unknown uprooting itself from the deepest recesses of his being and strangling all that he held to faith like ivy to a tree. In short, it was the most unnerving thing that he had ever encountered.  
  
Finally uncurling his fingers, Legolas allowed the string of his bow to snap back to place, releasing the built up tension and with that the arrow. The shaft flew with a speed and grace that even struck the Elf as being astounding before burring it head deep into the center of the wooden target, a hair breadth from the last that he had fired.  
  
"You are an excellent shot," a voice noted as a figure walked into the clearing, actually causing the Elf to startle ever so slightly.  
  
Gulping to hide his shock, Legolas once again found his mind seemingly lost within the unusual realms of self-doubt and trepidation. How in Valar's name had that pathetic human been able to sneak up on him? Normally Legolas would have heard him, if not sensed him coming from nigh on a mile away.  
  
Intent on banishing all such thoughts from his head, Legolas pulled another arrow from his quiver and focused his eyes upon the target ahead as he repeated his last actions, feeling his body react to the natural flow of the movements.  
  
"What?" Legolas asked with a little laugh, not even looking to the human in acknowledgment, "you did not receive your fill yesterday? Back for another altercation of tempered words?" Letting the arrow fly, Legolas could tell that Estel was watching the target, waiting to see where it hit. He on the other hand, found himself interested in only one thing: getting rid of the human that had once again disturbed his peace. "For if that is the case, you may as well save yourself the aggravation of trying and just leave, for I shall not apply myself to such a folly cause again."  
  
As only Legolas would have predicted, the arrow nestled itself neatly within the tiny gap that once existed between the first two that he had fired.  
  
Smirking softly at the amazed look that passed over the human's face, Legolas busied himself with drawing another arrow and checking the fletching while waiting for the man to leave.  
  
"Actually," Estel said off-handedly, his eyes still glued to the proof of Legolas' deadly accuracy, "I came in hopes of amending what was spoken last night."  
  
Legolas could have cried; could have shouted out his annoyance and anger into the otherwise unoccupied clearing. When would the human ever give up? Why did he seem to find it impossible to see that nothing would ever happen between them and that Legolas preferred that they kept this riff between them?  
  
Estel's eyes switched from the target to the Elf, an action that Legolas was all too aware of. Still looking at the flawless fletching of his arrow as if there was something seriously wrong with it, Legolas tried to put some of his feelings into words, finding that with each passing second it was harder and harder to do.  
  
Opting for silence, the Prince of Mirkwood merely settled for fitting the arrow that he had been looking at so intently to his string, allowing his next movements to come from the practiced steps that seemed like a permanent etching upon his mind.  
  
"Come now, Legolas. You cannot just not speak to me," Estel half implored, his eyes roaming over the form of the Elf as he slipped so easily into his firing stance.  
  
"Watch me!" the Elf spat out as he released his arrow, his blood starting to boil due to the presence of the arrogant man that crowed his space.  
  
Watching the shaft fly, Estel jumped slightly when one of the other arrows practically burst into splinters as the razor-sharp steel tip split it straight down the middle. Having grown up with Elves, Estel was past the point of believing that nothing could shock him anymore - well, that was until the display that he had just witnessed. Not even Elrohir, rendered the best marksmen in Rivendell could split one of his arrows in half with such ease as Legolas had exhibited.  
  
When the soft sound of Estel's gasp reached Legolas, the Elf merely turned and smirked at the human, his left eyebrow arched in both a sinister mock and disparagement. Seeing that he had in fact successfully shocked the man into silence, Legolas slipped his bow over his back and made ready to leave, not intending to spend any more time in the clearing with the infuriating human then was needed.  
  
"Spar with me?" The question caught Legolas completely by surprise, stopping him dead in his tracks, his eyebrows quirked in a mixture of utter disbelief and inclusive annoyance. Once the moment passed and the human asked yet again, this time sounding a little more confident, Legolas' upper lip curled up as he replayed the question over in his head, still not believing what he had heard.  
  
"Please?"  
  
Rolling his eyes and biting gently at his tongue, Legolas looked over his shoulder, seeking out eye contact with the human before answering him with a resounding, "No."  
  
"No?" Estel echoed, this time it being his turn to show shock as his face lit up with questioning. Taking a careful step forward, he looked the Elf right in the eyes as he continued, "do not tell me that you have not longed to put me in my place. To show yourself as my better."  
  
Not to be taken in such a way, Legolas merely offered the human a patronizing smile as he turned to fully face the man. "That statement alone proves that I need not trouble myself. You already know what is in my heart in regards to such a matter, just as you know what the outcome of the sparring session would be. So why should I put myself through the bother?"  
  
"Why, for the challenge, of course," Estel offered as if it were the most obviously clear thing in the world.  
  
"And here I was thinking that you were the one that was simply in it for the challenge," Legolas retorted, his words standing to describe more then just the issued contest.  
  
From the smile that spread across Estel's face, Legolas could tell that he took the meaning of his words. "Indeed, I have always loved a good challenge..." Estel mused as he looked the Elf quickly up and down, an action that made Legolas' blood boil with contempt.  
  
His anger working against him, Legolas found that no matter how he tried he could not get his body to comply with what he knew was right, and so instead of turning away as he knew he should, he found himself slipped his bow from his shoulder and casting it to the ground.  
  
"Fine!" Legolas acknowledged defeat, his eyes flashing ice-cold as he turned to face the young human.  
  
Watching the man intently, Legolas just stood still as a statue, his eyes and the subtle rise and fall of his chest being the only parts of him that remained animated; that seemed alive. Even his hair, normally quick to catch in even the slightest wind remained hanging loosely over his shoulders, the fine strands never venturing out into the air around him.  
  
Estel reached for the sword that hung by his left hip, his hand pausing in its action as his fingers curled around the leather wrapped hilt. Both just stood there, Estel clutching at his weapon and Legolas merely with his hands by his sides, glaring each other down and trying to foresee the others actions. The clearing that they stood in appeared to halt its very existence, stilling so that its entire concentration was focused at the two beings that stood face to face, resentment and uncertainty hanging heavily in the cool air.  
  
Then, like the rapid swelling of the incoming tide upon a sandy shore, the world came whirling into action and back into perspective.  
  
Estel's knuckles flexed ever so slightly, the tiny and almost undetectable movement being all that the highly trained Elf needed to know exactly what was going to happen and how.  
  
Given the chance, Estel would have drawn his blade quickly, pulling it high and, by the way in which his left foot had subtly buried itself into the earth, he would have spun to his right, trying to come in under whatever defense the Elf invented.  
  
Instead, with Legolas having seen the man's intentions as clearly as if he had simply told the Elf what he was about to do, Estel found his sword being kicked forcefully from his hand as soon as it was free of the scabbard. Before the blade even had the time to hit the ground, Legolas had reached over his shoulders, grabbed his two bow-knives and brought them forward, spinning them skillfully over his knuckles as he closed the gap between them with a small step. Within an instant he had a blade pressing against either side of the human's throat, his slender wrists crossed in an automatic reaction which supplied him an easy scissor motion in order to sever the head if need be.  
  
Grey eyes locked with icy-blue ones, the latter issuing an inimitable challenge as a darkened eyebrow rose in complacency.  
  
"Do you yield?" Legolas asked with a small smirk, making the way in which he eyed the position of his daggers painfully apparent.  
  
Attempting to keep his face as schooled as possible, Estel took a small step back, bowing his head to the Elf in a respectable form of submission and admittance to the fact that he had been defeated.  
  
Once the human's throat disappeared from between his two daggers, Legolas casually spun them over his hands again as he brought his arms down, dropping them by his sides and allowing his grip to slacken slightly.  
  
"Well done," Estel said as he crouched down to grab his sword. One knee pressing into the dirt, he closed both hands around the grip of his weapon and looked up at the Elf almost innocently. "But I am not yet ready to yield!" The last word was emphasized by a quick and forceful sweep at the Elf's feet with the length of the man's blade.  
  
Eyes widening, Legolas only just had time to jump into the air, seeing the flat of the sword whoosh harmlessly through the very place that Legolas' legs had just been. As Legolas landed lightly upon the ground, Estel found himself leaning to his left in a way to counter the shifting weight of the blade as it swung to his right. A well placed tap of Legolas' boot, hitting the man on the top of his left shoulder, saw Estel lose his balance completely and topple over.  
  
Using the tip of his sword to keep him upright and bracing his body with his right hand, Estel recovered faster then Legolas would have expected of any normal human. Within a moment the man had pushed himself to his feet, his temporary lost of control all but forgotten as he took yet another swing at the Elf.  
  
The stroke aimed for the Elf's midriff, forcing Legolas to fold in the middle, his upper body bending as he breathed in, keeping his stomach just out of reach of the blade.  
  
To say that Estel was impressed would have been an understatement. He had long been sparring with the best Elves in Rivendell, and, on occasion, he had even participated in tournaments which were open to all the Elven lands, but never ever had he seen such a versatile Elf. Even Elrohir or Elladan could not compare with the Mirkwood Prince, this being a thought that made Estel secretively wonder why the blond had never competed in any of the contests.  
  
Easily dodging out of the way of the swing, Legolas waited until the sword passed out of harms way before he threw himself into the moment once again. Leaning over further, he expertly balanced his weight, his arms stretching out behind him to give him more breadth and to keep him upright. With practiced skill, Legolas sent his right leg flying out behind him and, as he lent over even further, brought the flexible limb over his shoulder to hit the man square in the chin.  
  
Utterly dazed and not quite comprehending the extent of the move the Elf just pulled, Estel stumbled back, his hand flying to his jaw as he openly gaped at Legolas as he righted himself. The Elf seemed unfazed, as if such a movement was an everyday thing for him, and, before Estel had time to lace all his thoughts into a coherent order, Legolas was coming at him again.  
  
A flash of silver was all the warning the human had as one of Legolas' blades sliced through the air, dangerously close to the man's nose. Ducking and rolling out of the way, Estel attacked the Elf from the side, keeping his thrusts both fast and forceful in hopes of hindering the Prince's ability to turn and face him.  
  
His tactic was short lived however, especially when the Elf surprised him once again by dodging his attack in the strangest of ways.  
  
Seeing that Estel was not about to give up anytime soon, Legolas decided that it was high time he called upon a few of his more original moves and hopefully scare the human off that way. With the man attacking from his side, Legolas knew that Estel would expect him to turn and face him, at which time Estel would try to swoop under Legolas' defense as he turned and catch him that way. Yet that was a scenario that Legolas did not plan to have any part in.  
  
Instead he simply threw his weight backwards, lifted his arms and clutched tighter at his twin blades. Springing off the ground with his toes, he easily felt his body falling into the natural routine of a back-flip, only this time he was prepared for something a little different as he thrust the tips of his blades towards the ground.  
  
The blades dug deeply into the soil as Legolas threw his weight back. A small flex of his arms saw his body follow its original path, right over the embedded knives as if he merely completing a normal flip. As his feet passed his center of balance, Legolas wrenched the blades free of the earth, successfully having them free before his boots touched the ground.  
  
The human, still amazed at what the Elven prince had just done, was caught completely off guard and Legolas raced at him, his blades up as he dealt blow after blow upon the man's sword. Legolas' arms seemed to move of their own accord, gaining speed with each and every thrust and power with each stroke. Ground was stolen out from underneath the human's feet as he was forced backwards, the mere intensity of the Elf's attacks enough to send him wheeling back, not to mention the swiftness in which the Elf attacked. Estel was hard pressed seeing Legolas' arms moving, let alone the blows and where they were aimed.  
  
He felt trapped. As if he were locked on the inside and looking out through someone else's eyes as he forcefully drove the human back. It was deeper then usual, the pull and need stronger then anything he had ever experienced before. For so long it had been a granted that he fought to kill, that he was trained to take life with as little effort as possible and that he was to be unrelenting. And yet he could not kill Estel, he knew that and it was the only reason that he tried to fight against that desperate urge to finish the man off as quickly as probable. Yet that was not the entire situation. He always trusted himself; always put his faith and his life in that force that drove him on and ever closer to the kill, and yet this time it felt as if it were not actually him. As if he were a stranger on the inside, looking out at this practically unstoppable killing machine. It was odd, alien to him and, as much as he tried not to admit it, it scared him beyond belief.  
  
Finally nicking at the underside of Estel's hand, all thoughts of 'sparring' scattered into the wind, Legolas saw to it that Estel released his blade. Using one of his own knives to clip the sword, the Elf sent it up into the air at the same time that he threw his right blade into the ground behind him. Thrusting his left bow-knife at the human's throat, Legolas easily caught Estel's sword as it fell. He drew his right arm back at the elbow, bringing the tip of the man's sword in line with the tip of his dagger and, keeping the weapons trailing on the human, stalked towards Estel with deadly grace. With each step the tips of the two blades threatened to prick Estel's skin, Legolas driving forward with eyes so darkly clouded that Estel actually found it wise to retreat.  
  
"Do you yield?" Legolas demanded, his voice as fierce as the fire that burnt behind his usually emotionless eyes.  
  
He was just tense, he told himself as he backed the human towards the ring of trees. Larnfield still played upon his mind, his shoulder ached, Estel had done naught but irritate him, the discovery of the substantial price on his head and the fact that he had not taken any rest in numerous days were all just taking their toll. He had no reason to fear that which he should embrace. He relished in this feeling of power, in the fact that he knew, even when Estel had started to fight back, that he would win. He lived for it; loved it. He did not fear it for such a thought was preposterous!  
  
Nodding his compliance, Estel clenched his jaw tight, not entirely sure he liked this situation at all. He could see something within the Elf, hidden deep under that raging fire, which he could not place. Fear? Uncertainty? It was something that did not belong, that did not make sense to be seen in such a fair being, let along in one with as much spark as Legolas. Perhaps the Elf truly was not all that he seemed.  
  
"I yield," Estel said, much more smoothly then he thought possible.  
  
As soon as he had spoken the words it was as if a physical mask lifted off the Elf's face. The fire was quenched, his eyes once again that seemingly bottomless pool of ice-cold water and his face again at ease, the tightness and hint of something wilder all but lost as the refined and beautiful Prince of Mirkwood returned. Legolas almost looked startled; scared as he seemed to take in the sight before his eyes as if for the first time. It appeared as if he had been elsewhere during the battle, caught up in the world that would not permit Estel access and yet a world that the Elf was not entirely free to move about in as he pleased. He almost looked disgusted with the way that he held Estel's sword and his own knife, and, with little more then a moment having past, he rearranged his grip on the blade and threw the sword tip first into the ground as if it were a vulgar object akin to an Orc blade.  
  
"Good," was the only word that he said as the Elf turned on his heels and stalked towards his discarded bow-knife. Kicking at the dirt just in front of the blade, he sent the dagger flying into the air where he easily caught it before placing it and its twin back into the sheaths strapped to his back. Grabbing up his bow, Legolas did not even look about the clearing as he swiftly exited, walking quickly out of Estel's vision for the third time in two days.  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Next chapter preview:  
  
Running swiftly across the lawn, Legolas was little more then a smudge upon the darkened grass and a fleeting silhouette mingling with the shadows of the tall house. As soon as he reached the wall of the separate kitchen, he flattened his back against the cool stone despite the fact that there was no sign of any guards or resistance. It was just a matter of old habits refusing to be overruled within the heat of the moment.  
  
Later on:  
  
Then there was the fact that as strong as Legolas wanted to make himself seem, even he had his limits, his boundaries - his breaking point - and, if the way his entire body shook with each movement, the way he found it difficult to do up the ties of the bag and the way that his head did not lift were signs that could be trusted, he was treacherously close to stepping over that dangerous line. Of passing that point of no return.  
  
*****  
  
Replies to reviews: (beware of the length...)  
  
Eddie Uwnhai" LOL! It is always so interesting to see all the moronic mistakes that I make and never even pick up on! So, as usual, thank you for your help!  
  
Aislynn Crowdaughter: Oh, I want Estel to be clumsy - where is the fun if he is some smooth talker that can win our homicidal Elf over with a mere word? He needs to screw up a few (many) times as it makes it more enjoyable for me (who does not like him) and actually is the thing that creates the basis of the story. I am glad you like it, but expect a lot of problems as they go...  
  
Rabbit of Iron: *wonders about your sanity....* LOL! The chin-fuck comment, well, I guess I should have explained that. It is really simple really, nothing gross (such as your thought...) or kinky of anything. Just came about when I was talking about him with this guy I know and I could not remember his name...so I was there pressing my finger into my chin to try and recreate his monged dimple thing and the guy was like 'chin- fuck..oh Aragorn!' That's it, nothing too great, but yes, 'chin-fuck' or 'Arafuck'... I hope it is getting better as we go, else I am in trouble! Lol. And yes, as you just saw, Legolas kicked Arafuck's arse! *waves goodbye*  
  
Ihni (both reviews) Oh, he is taking FAR too much for granted. And, may I just ask, who said anything about Legolas 'falling in love with him'? I mean, this is me. ME!!! have a hope, my dear friend, have a hope.  
  
Lol, like I said, the whole "that has never happened" thing never crossed my mind. Of course it has never happened else he would not be there arguing with Erestor about it in the first place! Must have been one of those not-so-rare moronic moments! Lol.  
  
*Gags over the falling for each other in fluff and pastels* Please! This is me, as I said. The day that they fall for each other in fluff and pastels will be the day that I write a story about them holding hands and singing as they skip happily through the daises - and they will be singing a Britney Spears song!  
  
...so yes, do not worry about that as it will NEVER happen! And yes, hostility is the only way to go - also (normally) gets rid of a lot of hindrances! Legolas talking to himself is a reflection of both of us and the fact we say it is healthy. I was looking for a way to make that a little more comical, so I decided to do what I would do and make him talk/yell at himself! Lol.  
  
Oh, I know what you mean about the school comment - 'tis horrible. But yes, poor Legolas...*eyes light up* it was fun to watch, wasn't it? *pokes you until you agree* And yes, I am learning, but I hope you realize just how hard this actually is!  
  
Kael Kalespel: Oh, it is, isn't it. In fact, such a thought is utterly delightful! Thank you, thank you, thank you! *once again does Jack Sparrow style bows* and when will Legolas realize...well, if I told you that I would have to kill you...seriously! LOL!  
  
I have worked out that Estel is like a stray dog...you feed it once and it keeps coming back even if you kick it...LOL. So yes, he is not about to give up after the little make-out session in the garden. And yes, he has his moments of perception...and then he has his moments of pure stupidity...LOL!  
  
Tracy: *Smiles* I am glad that you can also picture Legolas with that bitchy look on his face - don't you think it suits him? 'Tis very condescending and scornful and yet at the same time I can so picture him just going 'dar!' Female influence? Ok, now I am just confused? Which female are you speaking of here? I normally make a point of keeping females out of my stories for a number of reasons. One, I can't write them (ok, I know that sounds odd considering that I am a girl and all, but I just can't) and two, I do not want to run the risk of creating the spawn of some-evil-god aka a Mary-Sue. Would fall upon my own blade before I created a Mary-Sue, and for that matter, most of the characters that I create will all be guys. So much easier to handle!  
  
Iara: 'A little feisty'? LOL! Ah, but it is so much fun to make them fight! I am happy you like it, and thank you for the review!  
  
Tainted Fortune: Favorite story? *is torn between feeling deeply honored or suggesting that you read some of the other wonderful fics out there which far surpass this poor excuse* Yay! I was worried that the little touches of humor would not be noticed, but it makes me feel better knowing that you saw it. The dinner scene was fun - the way he was so bored and actually showing it for once. Fun to write! I want to show that beneath that nasty, murderous and homicidal exterior there is a little bit of fun and innocence left in him, and that shall only be further elaborated upon as we go... but I hope you liked this chapter and I shall see you again next week!  
  
whispers of an angel: Legolas is a bitch! LOL! But yes, he is mean, but that is the way that he had kept himself alive for so long... not that I feel sorry for Estel or anything, personally, I think Legolas should just kill him and move on...but they won't let me *glares at evil muses*  
  
ivorybrowneyes: You are sick? *hands up over the blanket she stole from Elrohir, the herbal tea she pinched from Aragorn and Legolas' fluffy pillow that she ran off with last time she tried to tie him to his bed...* thank you for your review and I sincerely hope this finds you feeling better.  
  
Analia: *Offers you a big smile* Were you forming images of Legolas' bed? Or Legolas *in* the bed...or Legolas *naked* in the bed, or was it Legolas *tied* to the bed... *slaps self out of sadistic daydreams*  
  
I am glad you like his musings, and even gladder (is that even English?) that you believe I can do them well. Thank you for the compliment, although I tend to steer clear of too many musing as: one, I have too many thoughts myself, two, I can never distinguish when mine end and a characters' begin, and three, all of them are such a mess that I fear they shall not sound right. But yes, I have this thing for planning out something and then laughing evilly in the face of the characters as I make them do something else, which, on a whole, is much less entertaining for them! *cackles*  
  
It does? Hi voice sounds like Frodo's? Ok, I so have to investigate this *pulls out popcorn, FotR DVD and the RotK trailer* Lol, but yes, the trailer was cool, and the Elf in the hood! Screw the bloody movie, just see it for the Elf in the hood! Lol, oh, and the prospect of sadistic enjoyment when you see Legolas surrounded by the Orcs...  
  
Strangely enough, even I am unsure of why Legolas has pain in his shoulders... I needed something to put in there and then it just sort of continued on...knowing me I shall make something out of it that will not make sense and will be entirely over done, but it is worth a try! Lol. Legolas' steps being heavier - well, when I read over it again didn't make sense to me, so you are right. It was meant to be him stomping off, but "Legolas stomped off" sounded so...tacky and un-Elf like so I did it that way which didn't work either...  
  
I am sorry that you suffer during the week; that was not my intention, it is just that there is no HUMANLY POSSIBLY way that I can update this every couple of days. As it was, I was hard pressed getting this chapter up on time. So please, invest in a stress ball or nail harder to help you stop any anxious habits!  
  
AHHHHHHH!!!!! *claws at eyes* PLEASE!?!?! No thoughts of Arafuck and Legolas having wild monkey sex...I am far too innocent for such thoughts... HA! ...sorry...  
  
Not having a point good. I mean look, I have just typed 414 words which have no point in reply to your review which had no point. To have no point not only leaves you open to the notion that you may create one, but it also is a great conversation starter! See look, none of that had a point, but it both filled in the time and actually made me think...LOL. Seriously now, thank you for the review and for the complements and I hope this finds you well!  
  
Sirithiliel: For the majority of the story, it is going to be this 'I hate you, get the fuck away from me' relationship, so rest assured. After that, remember that I am not a huge slash fan myself, so do not expect anything over the top or graphic or anything like that. And oh, you got your wish - Legolas hurt him. actually, that entire battle scene was added in at the last minute - it was meant to be a short chapter with only his conversation with Rolf, but your review gave me the idea so I kinda changed quite a few things... Lol, so thank you!  
  
CareLess: *Meows back at you while doing moronic clawing action with her hand* Thank you! Though I am sure that you would not believe how many people have informed me that I am far too sarcastic for my own good - it seems to be a 'S' thing with me: sarcasm, sadism and stupidity! Oh, and Estel being one of the assassins hunting Legolas? I think someone else has already asked that and I gave them one of my 'trying-to-be-cryptic' answers that did naught but make no sense! Lol. In other words, I am going to leave you hanging on that one and get back to you later... and oh, hurt him anyway, I don't like him! *hands you swords, whips, thumbscrews and other such implements*  
  
Silvertoekee: *Grins hugely* I am so glad that you liked the 'lovers spat'. And yes, the future screams of the prospect of more arguments...or then, it might not...but t could (ok, that was me trying to keep you in suspense and failing miserably! LOL!) Legolas seems good with the denial thing - it suits him... And his problems? Well, I am starting to think that he will never figure them all out - there are just too many of them! Thank you kindly for letting me know what you thought!  
  
*****  
  
All right, that was long... sorry about that people. Anyway, I hope to see you all next week,  
  
Minka. 


	7. Phantoms of the Night

*Is sitting here playing with her early Christmas present from a friend - A 'The Lord of the Rings, The Two Tower, Helm's Deep Legolas action figure with Shield Skateboard' and wondering if it will work like a Voodoo doll...* Hehe, yes, I had a deprived childhood but I have never had an 'action figure' before so I am having fun. All I ever had were stupid Barbie's that ended up missing feet and being painted blood-red as I became sadistic at a really early stage...  
  
ANYWAY! Moving on. Here is the next chapter and again, be afraid, some of you more so then the others. There are some very 'un-Minka-ish' happenings in this chapter so consider yourself warned, though, I must say in my own defense, that there was no other way to set up the happenings of later on...but again, I am getting ahead of myself...  
  
Oh, and just a word of warning: I was in a really feral mood when I wrote the battle scene to this chapter, and thus Legolas sort of goes all crazy- killer and it is a little bit of a blood bath...so yes, lots of violence this chapter even though the battle is only short.  
  
So, without any more talk from me, let Legolas' slow spiral into darkness begin!  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Phantoms of the Night (Black Velvet)  
  
*****  
  
Staring up at the manor with indifference, Legolas assessed the best way in which to enter unnoticed. It was a dull job really. Sneak in, make it look like an accident and sneak out; novice work and definitely nothing to get excited about.  
  
Night had crept upon the land many hours ago, cloaking the world with her deep blackness in an usually swift manner.  
  
It had been three days since Legolas left Rivendell under the guise of wanting to travel the forests and it was needless to say that the task of getting away had not been an easy one. Erestor, never one to disappoint, had been insistent on Legolas taking an escort with him, or, if he refused that, Erestor himself was set to come with him. Finally rending to the others wishes, Legolas had accepted the escort reluctantly which meant another day and night was spent in idleness while wandering the woods and listening to the chatter of the other Elves. Much to his chagrin, the Elf - whose name Legolas still did not know - who had been his dinner guest for the night of his arrival was one of those which volunteered to 'protect the Elven prince with his life as he reacquainted himself with the gardens of Rivendell'. Though a little Valerian in their water supply on the second night of their expedition saw he and the others pass out like drunken dwarves and Legolas heading out into the night on his own. He would surly have to explain himself when he returned to the Homely House, but he was sure that if he smiled enough, apologized profoundly and then gently laid the blame on Erestor insisting on the escort, there would be no harm done.  
  
And so he was now standing at the edge of the forest which flanked the large manner of his next target and waiting for the moment that he would finally go into action.  
  
Deciding that there was no better moment then the now, Legolas pulled his dark cloak around his shoulders, all the while being glad that he had left a good set of velvety black clothes in Rivendell on his last visit. Running swiftly across the lawn, Legolas was little more then a smudge upon the darkened grass and a fleeting silhouette mingling with the shadows of the tall house. As soon as he reached the wall of the separate kitchen, he flattened his back against the cool stone despite the fact that there was no sign of any guards or resistance. It was just a matter of old habits refusing to be overruled within the heat of the moment.  
  
He had this well planned, down to the very second and he would not let even a shadow pass without his consent and knowledge. He had spent the entirety of that day and the night before watching the house with intent interest, keeping tabs of the servants, one the visitors and the amount of people that left in relation to the number that entered. If he was not mistaken, a single dark-haired gentleman remained within the house along with the older man, although his purpose was one that Legolas could only guess at. The visitor did not seem to excrete any form of ranking in office, his clothes were simple and yet not to the extent of a commoner, and while he did present himself with a hint of grace, he was far from being of any notable birth. For all Legolas knew the man was simply a well dressed servant, a butler or, perhaps somewhat more saucy, a younger 'companion' for the aging man held up within the comforts of his house.  
  
Either way, he did not seem to present himself as being too much trouble, and, even if he was handy with a weapon, Legolas was more then confident that he could take him.  
  
It was with that in mind that Legolas slipped a slender finger into the narrow gap between his gauntlet, the soft leather of his gloves and his wrist, drawing out a long, thin sliver of mithril. Blowing at a strand of hair that fell in his face, Legolas crouched by the door, his eyes narrowing as he carefully and quietly inserted the shard of silvery metal into the lock. His lower lip disappearing as his teeth came to chew gently on the skin, Legolas wiggled the small rod, trying to keep his actions as quiet as possible.  
  
Normally on such a small job, he would have opted for a case of breaking one of the windows and getting himself straight to the point. But this one called for a little more tack, though it was still well below his league. The man's death - Julkin's death - had to look like natural causes else the son would run the risk of having the transferal of the estate into his name put on pause due to investigation. Also, over the last day or two, Legolas had finally been able to think upon the seriousness of his current situation. If any signs of his handy work were to show up, then he would have anyone and everyone hot on his trail, trying to be the one to track him and take him down. While the idea of a few peasants with pitchforks did not worry him, the number of said fools did, especially if he were forced to leave a trail of corpses in his wake...  
  
It was those two issues and those two issues alone that prevented him from kicking the door down, walking in and just slitting the man's throat.  
  
Once again Legolas found himself cursing the Valar for doing all in their power to make his life hard.  
  
One more flick of his wrist saw a third click emit from the lock and brought a smile to the Elf's lips. Hand reaching up, he turned the knob gently and found, much to his relief that the door swung open easily and quietly.  
  
The feeling of being an intruder was one that Legolas was well and truly used to by now and, as callous as it sounded, he did not hold any regret for his breaking and entering. It was just a part of his job and something that needed to be done.  
  
Legolas paused in his crouched position for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the gloom within the house and to take in his surroundings.  
  
The house, though large, was very basic in its layout, helping the Elf to navigate the rooms by a simple guess and check procedure. He had entered through the kitchen, so all rooms surrounding that would either be storage, dinning, parlours and rooms for the servants back in the day when the house would have been at its height. Legolas was to hazard a guess that through the main dinning hall and into the foyer at the front of the house, here would be a staircase which would lead upstairs and to the bedrooms - a guess that he soon proved to be correct.  
  
Once up the stairs and standing on the narrow hall, each wall lined with doors and paintings, it was relatively easy to find Julkin's room - it being simply a matter of looking for the most ostentatious door and the signs of more frequent footfalls on the carpet. A few quick, silent steps down the hall and the softest click of the door lock was all it took for Legolas to be standing in the room of the deeply slumbering man, his plan well on its way to execution.  
  
Approaching the bed silently, Legolas pulled out a small vial of poison from a pouch that lay strapped to his belt, hidden by the long folds of his black velvet cape. Poison held tightly in his gloved hand, Legolas concentrated on keeping his breathing low and hushed and his footsteps even lighter then what they usually were.  
  
This was the tricky part; actually being able to get the poison within the man's mouth and down his throat without any spillage or sounds that could possibly wake up the servant and visitor who still remained in the lower rooms.  
  
Pulling out a small coil of tightly spun yarn, Legolas firmly wrapped one end around his left hand and let the other dangle freely. Using his teeth to pull the cork out of the small carafe, he carefully moved his right hand so that the neck of the bottle was under the hanging cord before dipping the rope into the flask. Now it was simply a matter of a few moments while the rope absorbed the poison. It would work in a fashion similar to how a cloth, left half in a tub of water and half hanging over the ground would transfer some of the water from the tub to the floor through its fibers. All he had to do was wait until he could feel it soaking into his gloves and then position the end of the cord that was around his hand into the man's mouth, thus moving the poison along as the other end of the cord soaked up more.  
  
See, the entire situation was tricky, but far from impossible.  
  
Feeling the poison soak through his glove and wet his hand, Legolas knew that it was time to move before too much of the deadly liquid was wasted.  
  
As he neared the bed, Legolas could not help but notice that the slumbering man's breathing was strangely erratic, coming in gasps too short for a peacefully sleeping man. Brushing it aside as a thing that happens to human's as they grew old, Legolas crouched down beside the head of his target.  
  
Placing the bottle down and unwinding the string from his left hand, Legolas moved that end up to the man's face, aiming for the mouth.  
  
What happened after that was completely unexpected...  
  
The door burst open with a resounding bang loud enough to make the Elf jump and whirl around on his heels. Bottle of poison and his target all but forgotten, Legolas watched wide-eyed as five men trickled through the door, each and every one of them heavily armed. The man in front, obviously the leader, Legolas recognized right away as the man that he had seen come and go that morning; the one that had stayed in the house after most of the others retired to their own dwellings. For a moment, Legolas thought that he may have made too much noise and that he had woken the man's caretaker, but one look into those dark and cruel eyes, Legolas knew that he could not be further from the truth.  
  
"Well, this is interesting..." the man said with a smile as he walked slowly forward. He looked the Elf up and down and, much to Legolas' disgust, the other quirked his eyebrows slightly as he licked his lips. Rolling his eyes, Legolas hardly paid attention to the man as he looked over the scene before them and eventually spoke again. "Nice technique; no poison on the lips, no toxin investigation."  
  
"I see you know the ways of the trade," Legolas replied calmly, keeping the small talk going as he quickly started to assess the other men.  
  
"I know you," the other corrected. At this Legolas merely scoffed and rose one eyebrow in challenge. There was no way that he knew this human - he tried to never forget a face as one never knows when an acquaintance from the past is about to stab you in the back.  
  
"Oh, do not look so skeptical," the dark-haired man continued with a quick smile back at his men, "I - we, I should say, may not know your name, but we know you by actions and reputation."  
  
"I am sure you do," Legolas replied, his eyes roaming over each of the men in an attempt to take stock of their weaponry. Unlike the men in Larnfield, these were more professional, better at concealing their weapons and their various strengths. All Legolas could truly make out was that they were well armed -with other implements then just the swords that they all held unsheathed - and were highly trained by the way they stood.  
  
"Come now, I know most of your little secrets. I have been following in your footsteps for years!" the man proclaimed, as if his achievement was something to be boasted about. "Watching you strike, trying to work out how it is that you just disappear for years on end only to strike with more fury and deadly grace then your last outing. My employers have an entire file on you, though they are yet to be able to put a name to it. Care to share?"  
  
Legolas just smiled.  
  
"I guessed as much," the other continued, not at all put off by the slightly feral gleam in the Elf's eyes. "But I must say, it was quiet the interesting read; all the stuff that they have collected. The way you work, those that you have killed, the subtle and the high profile escapes alike. Even those you use and leave behind make nice editions to the numerous pages. You are like a hero to most of us, a legend that some claimed did not exist. "  
  
"Well, I am glad that you enjoyed my life story," Legolas said with nothing but sarcasm in his voice, "but I have no care to hear yours, so I shall merely offer you the knowledge that after tonight, you shall have your own pages added to my file under the 'victims' section."  
  
"Well, well, we are mighty sure of our self, aren't we?" the other mocked with a cruel twinkle in his eyes. He and Legolas just stared at each other, trying to assess the others weaknesses and strengths while the intensity of their glares also fought for dominance.  
  
During this time, the man in the bed finally stirred and proved to be the only thing that could have possibly cut into the battle of wills that the human and Elf were engaged in. As his eyes slowly blinked open, he tried to focus on the strangers gathered in his private chambers. Slowly trying to push himself up into a sitting position, Legolas saw for the first time just how feeble the man truly was. Mortally was such a crippling thing to be cursed with.  
  
"What's goin' on 'ere?" the man demanded, his voice hardly above a scratchy whisper although he tried to make himself sound tough.  
  
The dark-haired man whirled into action at the sound of Julkin's voice. Pulling out a dagger, he quickly crossed the room and shoved the man back down. Julkin made a startled cry before gasping out something which sounded like the beginnings of a name before the assassin harshly drew the blade across the man's wrinkled throat, opening it up and allowing blood to flow onto the white sheets.  
  
Legolas looked away, the gurgling in the human's throat being the last thing that he wanted to hear at the moment. Something about the way in which the man had been near death already almost made him sad; almost made him regret that the few years the man had left had been stolen in such a way.  
  
"Oh come now, do not feign repulsion," the other said with disgust as he wiped the blade of his dagger on the man's shirt, cleaning it of the blood, "you were going to kill him anyway. I just saved you the hassle."  
  
"If that was the true reason for your presence, then I would feel inclined to thank you for your help," Legolas said with a forced smile and a mocking bow, "But there is more to it then that, is there not? So let's skip the forced formality and get to the real reason before I lose interest."  
  
"As you wish," the other said with a bow of his own. "Kill him!" he ordered his men.  
  
Glad to finally have some way in which to release the tension that had been building up in him for the last couple of days, Legolas smiled as the four man came at him, swords and daggers brandished high. The first reached him before Legolas had even pulled out his dagger, and so, with a small chuckle to himself, Legolas kicked the man square in the face, sending him backwards in a stumble as blood poured from his shattered nose.  
  
Deftly pulling his twin blades from behind his back, Legolas spun them once as he waited for the next human to approach. Acting swiftly, probably fasted then what the human could truly comprehended, Legolas crossed his wrists and slit the man's throat with both blades. Before the human fell, Legolas quickly crouched on one knee and slashed across the man's stomach with yet another scissor motion, before turning his right blade just in time to block a downward thrust from another attacker. Leaping back onto his feet, the Elf kicked the dying man over, the impact of his boot splashing blood from the deep wounds that crossed his stomach.  
  
Whirling onto the next, a fanatical smile on his face, Legolas waited for the man to make the first move. When he did, a forceful swing of his sword right at the Elf's neck, Legolas merely ducked under the blow and moved forward. Locking eyes with the man whose nose he had broken, Legolas did not even look behind him and he reached down and slashed the ligaments in the others knees, effectively hamstringing him. Before the man behind him fell, Legolas swung his other blade back and cut a deep gash into the side of the man's throat, opening up half of his throat and causing a river of arterial-spray to flow out and splash against the nearby wall.  
  
The man with the broken nose took a few quick paces back, his hand still covering his bleeding facial feature as his eyes reflected both his pain and utter horror as the Elf glared at him.  
  
A small battle cry from Legolas' left alerted him to the approach of his next attacker, and, deciding to be a little different, he dropped both his bow-knives to the floor. As the man swung at him, Legolas ducked under the blow and sent the ball of his open palm smashing into the man's collar bone. The man gagged as his breath became constricted and stumbled further away from the Elf, his sword dropping to the ground as his hands flew to his throat. Leaning to his right slightly, Legolas sent a forceful kick into the man's chest before rushing at the other and backhanding him across the face. With the force of the hit and his protesting lungs, the human soon found himself leaning against the blood splattered wall for support while not being able to do anything as the Elf approached.  
  
Fingers outstretched and held slightly back, Legolas let his gloved left hand fly towards the man's face, locking his palm over the man's nose and mouth. Shoving hard, he did not even watch as the assassin's head hit the wall. His body struggled and withered in vain as his hands shot up to wrap around the Elf's leather arm-guard though he remained trapped between the structure and the poison-soaked glove. As the man fought against the Elf's superior strength, Legolas reached to his lower back, pulling a small blade free. Gripping it by the tip of the blade, the prince threw it through the air with deadly accuracy, striking the man with the broken nose - who had been trying to flee the room - in the throat. Removing his hand from across the others face, Legolas watched as, as one, the two bodies fell, one with a gurgling scream as blood bubbled from his open throat and the other in a what appeared to be a dead faint, his body slackening as the poisonous fumes traveled through his system.  
  
Brushing a stray strand of hair from his eyes, Legolas allowed his gaze to slowly float over to the leader who, throughout the battle, had remained on the opposite side of the bed.  
  
"Next!" Legolas said with a raised eyebrow. "As it would seem that your men met with a small accident."  
  
"So it would seem..." the dark-haired man said through tight lips. He was not at all impressed, after all, he had brought some of the best people under his command, and yet the Elf had just made messy work of them within a few moments.  
  
His hand tightening around the hilt of his dagger until his knuckles went white, the man waited for a mere moment before launching the blade from his hand, aiming it right at Legolas' head.  
  
The Elven assassin easily dodged the blade by simply reaching down and picking up one of his own discarded battle knives. Clutching it in his right hand, he merely offered the other man a small shake of his head. "First lesson," he breathed out, though hardly out of breath as the leader of the group charged at him from the other side of the room, "never attack in anger." He finished as he sidestepped the man's feeble thrust and brought his elbow down on the spot between the man's shoulder blades.  
  
The dark-haired man stumbled for a moment before quickly righting himself and turning on his heels. "You are right," he hissed out, "for that rule momentarily fled from me." he admitted, before adding, "But it shan't happen again!"  
  
This time, when he came at the Elf, he was far more prepared, more calculating with each and every stroke and actually offered Legolas what would resemble a challenge. With a long sword against the single Elven knife, Legolas found himself needing to press the tips of his fingers to the flat of the tip of his blade in order to keep his wrist from giving way under the pressure. Elven blades were strong and resilient, but even they had their weaknesses, and the ability for a sword thrust anywhere near the tip of the blade was one of them. It would open the user's defenses up by forcing the point to turn inwards to face the holder thus not only leaving the Elf's right side completely exposed, but also giving the sword a nice path to slide down and a good chance of hitting the left arm. That was why, under any normal circumstances, an Elven warrior would fight with the twin knives as they covered both sides of the body and could easily reflect a blow with a mere cross of the blades.  
  
Another forceful blow had Legolas raising his knife above his head, his fingers pressed to the very tip of the blade to avoid coming into contact with the razor sharp edge of the others weapon. A quick kick to the man's side broke the power struggle and Legolas found it easy to leap out of the way of the now down-coming sword.  
  
One of the man's hands left the hilt of his blade and came to cradle his side, suggesting that Legolas' kick had been far more effective then he thought and had perhaps cracked a rib. Seeing his opportunity, Legolas took a step backwards and quickly spun his blade again.  
  
"Second lesson," he said as he threw the knife into the air only to catch it in a different hold. "Never..." he continued while flicking his wrist and sending the sliver of the knife twirling through the air, "...take your eyes..." Once again throwing the knife into the air, Legolas swiftly applied another kick to the winded man's stomach before he caught his bow- knife. Spinning it over his arm to hold it behind his back, he skillfully threw it from his right hand to his left before taking a large step forward while swinging the dagger in a wide arch, its path ending as it buried itself in between the man's ribs of his left side. "...off an Elf's blade." Legolas finished as he pulled his weapon from the man's side.  
  
The leader of the group looked completely stunned as he dropped his sword, favoring the use of the other hand to hold his heavily bleeding side. His face contorted in pain as blood ran swiftly through his fingers, falling like a waterfall onto the carpet below him and pooling out as the fibers could soak up no more.  
  
Legolas watched in silence, his blood covered blade still clasped tightly in his hand. He did not quite know what to make of what had just happened in the room. The men had been a threat, people out to claim that ridiculously large reward just like what he knew would happen, and yet, looking around him, he was almost disgusted. While the old man, lying dead in his once white sheets now stained red with his own blood had not been his fault, the rest of it had. The carpet was starting to fill with red and was to the point that Legolas was sure that it would squelch if trodden on. Many places on the wall were splattered with the thick red substance which was now surrendering to gravity, slowly rolling down the smooth walls in gooey, viscous streams. Man lay all about the room, large, ugly wounds gleaming in the near dark as even more of their life-blood seeped from the jagged tears in their flesh. And still the leader knelt, looking up at him in terror and pain as his side continued to bleed and stain his fingers crimson.  
  
Legolas felt like dropping his knife and retching at the sight before his eyes and the smell that assaulted his nose - at the massacre that he himself had created. None of the deaths had been clean, none swift like he always promised himself he would make them. It was a barging that he had long held with his conscience: it would not interfere if he did not make any of them suffer beyond their own sins. But not this time. This time he had fully lost control, he had surrendered everything to those murderous impulses which boiled just below the surface. Those that he could still feel there with disturbing clarity. His actions and butchery had added fuel to the already burning feelings within him, given them the power that he had always tried to suppress and keep separate and it was with a slight hint of terror that he knew that now, since he had allowed himself to completely disappear within that deep haze that came whenever he allowed his impulses to take over, he would never be rid of them. Never be able to keep that blood-lust from entering his veins and clouding his mind again.  
  
"Please?" the chocked plea of the man before him brought Legolas slamming back to the world of the present. Realizing that the man was still alive, if only just, and what it was that the man asked, Legolas nodded his head slightly and blinked his eyes clear. His teeth sinking slowly into his bottom lip, Legolas righted himself and tightened his grip on his dagger.  
  
It was with his eyes partly closed that Legolas sunk the blade halfway to the hilt into the man's chest, knowing that it would kill him within moments. Sighing loudly, Legolas casually yanked his blade free of the man's stomach and watched as the dark-haired man fell backwards, telling himself that watching the man die would act as a deterrent and prevent anything like that happening again.  
  
"And your last lesson," Legolas said almost solemnly, knowing full well that the dying man could hear him. "Just because you follow someone, or you read all about them does not mean that you are experienced enough to take them on. And it does not mean that you should want to be like them out of some twisted form of 'hero worship'. 'Tis just a shame that you learnt that too late." The Elf added as he literally saw the life drain from the human. His face went slack, his hands flopped to the ground and his last movement was his eyes flittering closed as a pool of blood threatened to swallow him and the floor alike.  
  
For a moment Legolas just looked around the room and stared.  
  
That presence of the dark-haired man disturbed him more then he cared to admit. It was obvious that Julkin's gentlemen caller was well known and familiar to all who worked the house and grounds, so it could easily be said that he was a long time acquaintance.  
  
They were after him, there was no doubt about that, which meant that they had to have been tipped off by someone and a long time ago. If the dark- haired man was well known, then this very incident had to have been planned for some time by someone who knew of the price on his head before hand. That meant that the entire thing had been staged, even Rolf being told of the job for Legolas had been pre-planned - that also meant that they knew about Rolf...  
  
Grunting in utter frustration, Legolas moved across the room to one of the less hacked at humans and knelt down next to him. Rolling him over, he saw that there was nothing special about the way he dressed, he held nothing of importance and his blade was completely different from each and every other one in the room - matching blades being one of the main signs of allegiance to a certain group. Legolas was just about to stand when a flash of silver on the man's index finger caught his eye.  
  
"The Order of Tercutkus," Legolas said to himself, chastising himself for not thinking of it sooner as he slipped the ring from the finger, knowing the craftsmanship and style of the ring as soon as he saw it. The ring was crafted of twists of silver and gold entwining around a drop shaped ruby of the deepest red - the sign of spilt blood. Turing the silver and gold loop over and over in his hands, Legolas purged his lips together and glanced around the room.  
  
He should have known the moment that they stepped into the room; the moment that the leader said they had a file on him; the moment that he fought the men who were greatly skilled for humans even if they did not last long in battle. He should have known...  
  
The Order of Tercutkus were a fearsome group of assassins, specializing only in the most deadly of tasks and in taking down the hardest of targets. They had a reputation that succeeded even Legolas', though most people merely thought the band a myth. They were never seen, never heard and never caught. Deadly as wargs and yet silent and swift like shadows; they were a force to be reckoned with and one that seemed to slip in and out of knowledge.  
  
Only once before had Legolas had dealings with the Order. It had been many years ago, when he was only getting used to the new life that he had designated for himself and when he was not half as accomplished and skilled as he was now. He and a member of the Order had been after the same target, both unawares of the other hunter. As it was, they only found out about each other in the very room of the intended victim, Legolas arriving only moments after his unknown rival had taken the kill. Both must had thought the other to be a threat as, within a moment, they were both locked into a deadly battle around the man's chambers - a battle that Legolas was lucky to escape from with is life. Needless to say that the delegate of Tercutkus vanished without a trace and with hardly a scratch on him.  
  
Yet as Legolas had just shown, times had changed. He was no longer the slightly meek novice that had been cursed with having a run in with the Order. Now he was the power in these parts and judging by the number of bodies, the Order knew it.  
  
Whoever it was that was after his head was obviously not afraid of playing with fire; mercenaries, swords for hire, and now the Order of Tercutkus... they were big stakes to let loose, the later reserved only for when all else failed. Now, if not before, it was clearly obvious that this person who had put the two thousand gold pieces on his head meant business.  
  
But who was it?  
  
He had had the pleasure of aggravating many a person in his lifetime, so it was not a simple case of picking the most likely. It could even be someone from years back, having spent all this time waiting for the right moment and a time in which no blame could be put upon them. A grudge long forgotten, a revenge attempt from some disgruntled family member, or even a political plot that involved his father. After all, it had not said that he was an assassin on the flyer. It had been naught but his face and the offered amount, no mention of the fact that he was even royalty.  
  
It honestly could be anyone.  
  
But the Order of Tercutkus? They were not cheap and not easy to find meaning that the person was of obvious wealth and knew a great deal of less then reputable contacts.  
  
The idea plagued his mind, swept all thoughts free save for the ones in regards to the deceased bodies that lay spread about him. They had known that he would be here. But how? He had been as careful as always, maybe even more so due to the knowledge that he had a price on his head. It had to have been staged from the word go; for months. Right back to when Rolf was informed of the job and, given his habit of being easily sidetracked, it would have taken him quite some time to track Legolas down and deliver the message. So he had a pretty good idea on how it had been set up, but more importantly, did they know where he had come from?  
  
For once he was lost, utterly and truly alone. He had neither the supplies nor the equipment to make an escape out into the wild for any amount of time, but at the same time, what if the assassins knew where he had come from? He would risk leading them right back to Rivendell if he returned. And he was too far from home and with winter starting to set in, he would not make it to the high pass above Rivendell before it snowed over.  
  
He had no choice, he had to go back to Rivendell and face both Erestor's questioning and his conscience there. The thought made him shudder, wanting nothing more then to be on his own for a time the idea of going back to the crowded Homely House was one that did not appear all too appealing.  
  
But then, at the same time, for some reason he felt as if it may do him good. At the beginning of the fight, all he had thought about was ridding himself of that mounting tension, and yet, now, with the battle past and nothing but the mess left behind, he found that he felt even worse then before. His shoulder still pained which was an endless source of annoyance, and, even more infuriating, he could not seem to shake the thought of Estel, of that infuriating human who was the bane of his existence in Rivendell from his mind.  
  
Rolling his shoulders and rotating his neck, Legolas found himself half moaning and half gasping in pain at his tight muscles. He was far too tense, the tightness of his shoulders getting to the point where it would hinder his movement and cause his life to be at risk within a fight. He had to find some way to rid both his mind and body of this constant rigidity.  
  
Arching his back and stretching his arms out behind him, a small smile played upon the Elf's face. He was sure he had just the cure...  
  
*****  
  
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true.  
  
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for...  
  
Black velvet and that little boy's smile  
  
Black velvet with that slow southern style  
  
A new religion that'll bring you to your knees  
  
Black velvet if you please  
  
*****  
  
Two days later...  
  
*****  
  
The door mocked him. Laughed in his face as he stood there, the toes of his boots highlighted by the soft glow of candles that streamed out from under the gap between the door and the floor. The light, that which he had always loved, always felt safe when surrounded by it, made Legolas feel as if his feet were on fire. Its imaginary flames scorched more then just his leather boots; it seared his soul and burnt itself onto his memory.  
  
No matter how long he lived, he was sure that he would always remember the sight before him. The tall leering door, the soft, gentle light and the stranger cloaked in darkness that stood at the entrance, fearing what may lie within both the room and himself if he entered.  
  
It was madness, utter foolishness to feel such a way, and he knew it.  
  
With a deep breath Legolas reached forward, his gloved hand tentatively touching the crafted knob of the door in a way that would seem he feared it would bit him. A small flick of the wrist saw the door swing open and Legolas walking into the room, all the while trying to ignore the voice in his head that told him to turn around and leave now.  
  
The sound of his door opening alerted Estel to a visitor - one that had obviously never heard of knocking - and he instantly folded the piece of parchment that he was writing on and quickly tucked it into the concealments of his desk drawer, slowly turning as he did so.  
  
"Legolas?" Estel asked once his eyes fell on the other. The prince was the last person that Estel had thought to be the unannounced visitor; in fact, the young human did not even know that Legolas knew where his room was.  
  
Rising from his chair, Estel made his way slowly over to the Elf who, for some unknown reason, refused to meet his gaze. He made his steps loud and sure, seeing that the Elf seemed to be in some form of light daze, and yet he made sure that he kept as much distance between them as possible. The last thing that he wanted was a repeat of the happenings of the last time that he saw Legolas, and the truthfulness of the situation was that he was not entire sure he could trust that the prince was not here to bring up old riffs.  
  
Estel had not seen the other in days but the memory of the look in Legolas' eyes as they fought was still fresh in his mind. For the last five to six days he had gone out of his way to avoid any and all places that Legolas might have been, not wanting to irate the Elf any further and hoping that all could be forgotten in time. After all, he may have had a bad experience (or two) but he was far from giving up on his attempt in wooing the Elf. Legolas just needed some time to cool off, to find out more on Estel and be assured that the human would do naught to hurt him and Estel was more then willing to allow the other as much time as he needed before he once again gave pursuit.  
  
Yet none of that stood to explain why Legolas was currently standing in his room, looking tired and weary in his dark clothing and back velvet cloak with his eyes locked on the floor.  
  
Legolas looked tired beyond belief; worn out and spent. His eyes, from the small view that Estel had access to, were partly closed and ringed darkly. His mouth drawn tight and his hair in what could only be called disarray, Legolas looked as if he had trekked halfway across Middle-Earth with a band on Orcs on his tail. He constantly moved his right shoulder, rotating it ever so slightly as he stood with his hands clasped in front of him. With a small smile, Estel could not help but think that Legolas looked so young, so venerable at that very moment and the human knew that there was nothing he would not give to be able to try and comfort the Elf.  
  
But before that could happen he had to first find out what was wrong and secondly, show Legolas that he could be trusted. Both which, if Estel knew as much about Mirkwood's prince as he thought he did, would be very hard to do.  
  
"Legolas? Are you all right?" he decided to start simple, moving forward with his head down and shoulder bent, trying to see in through and under that cascade of golden hair. When it was once again painfully obvious that Legolas was not about to lift his gaze from the floor, Estel once again spoke as he moved his face closer, peering at the silent Elf with worry. "What is wrong?"  
  
That voice. It was like a toxin, a poison racing through his body causing it to react in ways that he could not possibly comprehend. Legolas' heart raced and his pulse quickened, his hands, had they not been so tightly clasped together, would have begun to tremble...and all because of the human's voice. Scrunching his eyes together, Legolas just wanted to hear the man speak more...or shut up entirely.  
  
He was a wreck, he knew that. He neither looked presentable nor was in a stable enough frame of mind to be eloquent, let alone speak. At least he had had the sense to clean himself up after the blotched job at the manner, removing all traces of blood and poison from his clothes, hair and skin. It would have been poor judgment to come here like that, even for his current state. Any and all confidence that he had held in his plan at the house had been shot down once he came to stand in front of the human's door on the very night of his arrival. He had only taken the time to drop his supplies in his room before coming here, at that point in time still being utterly sure that he could find the release that he needed in the young human. But now...  
  
"Legolas?"  
  
"Nothing..." Legolas finally said dismissively and with a small shake of his head. The words did not even sound as if they had come from his own lips; they seemed hollow, distant and filled with something that he could not identify, something that he did not like to hear. "I...it is nothing," he added with a little more confidence to his tone though his eyes never strayed from the floor. "I should go. Sorry for disturbing you."  
  
Utterly shocked at not only Legolas' sudden decision to speak, but also at the completely out of character apology, Estel could do naught but stand there and frown as the Elf turned silently and made his way towards the door. Taking only a mere moment to sort his confusing feelings out, Estel made a dash for the Elf as he called his name while attempting to catch his arm before he walked out of his sight yet again.  
  
Legolas stopped mid-stride, Estel's hand on his arm and his name still floating on the air. The way Estel spoke his name; the feeling of warmth as the human's hand clasped around his shoulder was enough to send all thoughts from Legolas' head while yet still allowing him to be completely confused.  
  
Doing what he always did, what he had been trained to do, Legolas allowed his impulses to take over and spur him into a line of action.  
  
As the Elf spun and pushed him back, Estel was sure that he had once again overstepped the fuzzy boundaries which existed between him and the Elf. He was prepared for anything, whatever Legolas was about to do, he would try to be compliant else risk pushing the prince further away with his resistance. If Legolas needed to remind Estel to keep his hands to himself, then so be it and Estel would do as he wished...for awhile at least.  
  
The two of them stumbled for awhile, Legolas driving forward as Estel struggled to keep his steps quick and steady as he was pushed backwards. His back finally pressing against the far wall, Estel saw Legolas move his face in closer to his, a look which Estel guessed to be a snarl spreading across his lips. Mentally preparing himself for whatever the Elf had to throw at him, Estel kept his face clam and relaxed as he regarded the Elf.  
  
The sudden warmth of Legolas' lips against his own caught the human completely off guard, freezing him in place against the wall with the Elf pressed tightly against him. He was sure he had slipped into some from of trance - perhaps Legolas had knocked him out and this was just a figment of his imagination - for Legolas could not truly be kissing him.  
  
Legolas could feel the human tense against him, his muscles go taut in a feeling that he was utterly unsure of - was it fear, shock, terror, longing?  
  
How could he tell?  
  
His eyes, all Legolas had to do was look into Estel's eyes and he would know why he had reacted such, and yet, he could not bring himself to do it. Within that split second of contemplation, Legolas knew that no matter how much he wanted to or how hard he tried, he could not look the man square in the eyes. Not like this...not after this...  
  
It had been that way since he entered the room, his heart and mind troubled beyond belief. Something had made him come here; something had told him how to react and, even now, told him to kiss the man pinned to the wall. From the moment that he saw the light under Estel's door, Legolas had been subconsciously telling himself that it meant nothing, that he was just stressed, tense and even scared, and that Estel would be like the string of others that Legolas had left defeated and heart broken in his wake. Even now he believed that: there was no other reason for this, nothing that could be seen as deep and meaningful. It was only Legolas finally satisfying those undeniable urges that had stirred within him after his actions with Sard in Larnfield.  
  
Indeed it was unfortunate that it was Estel this time as Legolas knew it would hurt the man more deeply then any of his past 'acquaintances' but it could not be helped. Legolas could not control who was in Rivendell at the time nor could he pick and chose who would actually be able to make him feel something other then the need for excitement and the want for adventure. It was not his fault that Estel actually made him feel like anything more then a heartless assassin or a trophy to be placed upon a pedestal; nothing more then a pretty trinket to be looked at and patted, protected and worshiped.  
  
It was like any of his jobs: a hit and run. Dominate and leave behind. Use and then break all contact so that none could get close. It was the way it had always been and the way that it always would be. Estel was merely another pawn in his life, another piece for Legolas to move about his board as he progressed through what he saw as a game of cat and mouse.  
  
After all, the man would get over it. Once Legolas was gone, Estel would never again lay eyes on him in the human's short lifespan. Chances are Estel would find some nice Elven girl to settle down with - someone who liked to be treated like a treasure, who liked to be pampered and kissed, loved and cherished; someone who was willing to be part of the humans life and forfeit their independence. So it was all for the best - for both of them. Legolas was saved from having to remain so tightly strung while not having to look in any places too uncomfortable for relief while Estel would get a taste of what he thought he wanted and thus be shown that Legolas really wasn't the type for him.  
  
It was a win-win situation!  
  
Then why could Legolas not look the man in the eyes?  
  
Forcing any and all thoughts from his head, Legolas pressed himself closer to the human, wanting to feel every reaction that Estel had, every flinch or tremor - anything and everything that he could.  
  
He had long given up on the foolish idea that he could feel anything more then the fast pace of his heart when in fear or the reddening of his ears and cheeks when angry, so he wanted to hold onto the human, leaching his reactions and feelings from him like a bloodsucking leech.  
  
For the time being Estel was not doing anything, just standing there as Legolas attacked his mouth and kept him pinned to the wall. Estel's failure to respond got to such a level that Legolas was sure something was wrong. Maybe he had read the human wrong - but that was impossible, wasn't it? Estel had kissed him, had followed him around and made preposterous declarations of 'feeling' things. Why did he not respond?  
  
A pair of arms snaking around Legolas' waist took him slightly by surprise and he prepared himself to be shoved back, having already determined that he had made a grave mistake. Only, the total opposite occurred. Estel gripped at Legolas' waist and hips, drawing him closer as he finally dropped his head to better capture Legolas' searching mouth.  
  
Legolas could feel the slight unease in the human slipping away with each and every time their lips moved; with each time their tongues brushed. Within a moment, Estel's arms were so tightly wrapped around Legolas that the Elf feared he would never be able to get out of the embrace and that he would be slowly squeezed to death.  
  
Slowly wiggling in the grasp, Legolas managed to get his point across to the human who thankfully allowed his grasp to loosen and Legolas to once again be able to breathe as their lips finally parted. Sure that Estel knew of the fact that Legolas was in charge, the Elf felt no need to speak as he once again latched onto the human's lips, careful to never allow his eyes to lock with those of Estel's.  
  
Legolas was about to pull the human towards the bed when, before he knew it, he found that Estel's hands had roamed further then what he thought. The human grabbed hold of the back of his thighs, pulling the Elf's legs up as he lent his head back. Legolas arms' having been wrapped around the man's neck, only helped Estel in achieving his goal of pulling the prince right against him and forcing Legolas to wrap his legs around the young man's waist in order to keep their balance.  
  
Legolas was more then a little put off by this shift in power, especially as Estel started leading them towards the bed in a fashion which suggested that Estel thought he was in control. No one had ever dared to do such a thing before, none ever having the audacity and the courage to do something without Legolas' permission. Normally they bent to his will, gave what was expected and received what was given, knowing full well that it was Legolas calling the shots.  
  
Estel? Well, he seemed to have a mind and agenda of his own as he carefully yet awkwardly dropped Legolas onto the soft bed before crawling up on there himself. Reaching out quickly, he secured the Elf - who was already trying to regain control of the situation - on his back, Estel's weight holding him easily in place as the human lay out on top of him. Legolas was about to voice his protest; ready to tell this overconfident human how these things worked when Estel's lips latched onto his throat, sucking and nibbling gently at the pale skin while making the Elf not only let out a small moan, but also decide that there was no harm in allowing Estel his small moment of control.  
  
As Estel's tongue dipped into the hollow of Legolas' throat, Legolas felt his back arch on its own accord, just as an unchecked moan passed his lips. He had never felt such a thing, never had his skin tingle with such pleasurable fire at such a simple touch. It was riveting, remarkable, utterly mind-blowing, and what's more, it made him want to forget about everything else. About his life, about the fact that he was merely using the young man and about his need for control - his fear of not being able to command the other.  
  
Estel's hand started to work at the fine clasps at the top of Legolas' tunic, seeking to go further with his still roaming tongue and it was all Legolas could do to keep himself at least partly under control. He was not going to render to this human; that was not the way it was meant to happen. Yet Estel had done more for him with a simple kiss - a touch of his tongue to his throat - then others had managed in an entire night. It was not right, and Legolas intended to put a halt to it once and for all. After all, had he not only just told himself that he was incapable of feeling; that he was only utilizing the human's little obsession to put himself at ease?  
  
Using all the strength that he could possibly muster, Legolas wrapped a leg around Estel's and shoved upwards and to his left, his actions fueled on by the growing fear within him while ignoring the small whimper of protest as Estel's lips were torn from their current position. Straddling the human and pressing him in place, Legolas prepared to turn the tides of power in the right and favorable way when he did the unthinkable...  
  
He looked into Estel's eyes.  
  
Legolas froze. His heart stopped beating and his blood turned to ice. He swore that he could not breath as he looked down into those eyes that he had avoided since he first stepped foot in the room.  
  
Estel was regarding him so oddly and with such confused emotions that Legolas' first thought was to run and never come back. The human seemed scared and yet confident; nervous and yet willing. They were such strange, conflicting emotions reflected in the depths of the human's eyes that Legolas actually found himself stopping and starting at the man with his own mixture of fear and uncertainty.  
  
"You do not want this?" he asked quietly, his eyes now seemingly unable to look away from Estel's as he allowed the man the chance to choose his fate. "You want this to stop?"  
  
He thought that he would have to wait forever, that he would see the battle within the man as Estel fought to make up his mind on the subject at hand, and yet, it hardly took a second for the human to reply in both words and actions.  
  
Estel's arms wrapped around the Elf's waist, giving him a small and yet meaningful tug towards his face, the human also unwilling to look away from the Elf who had suddenly decided to grace him with his bright blue gaze. "Never." Estel whispered firmly once the prince's face was only a hairbreadth from his own. His other hand snaked its way up to burry the fingers in Legolas' hair and to gently rub the back of the Elf's neck while a cheeky smile crept upon Estel's face. "Though I would much rather we change positions..."  
  
It was Legolas' turn to smile, his lips tauntingly parting as he slowly breathed out his reply. "Never."  
  
The hand on the back of Legolas' head stretched out, gently removing the long curtain of golden hair from over the Elf's shoulder and revealing the left side of Legolas' pale neck. "We will see," Estel replied with a sly smile as he pulled the Elf down closer to him and allowed his lips to brush against the pale skin. Legolas saw stars as Estel whispered against his flesh, sending goosebumps racing across his skin. It was something that he had never felt in his entire lifetime and all too soon he felt his arms buckle at the sensation before he finally fell unceremoniously onto the human's chest. "We will definitely see about that..."  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Next chapter preview:  
  
"Why do you still refuse to understand? How can you be so blind to the real point? Last night was a mistake, Estel, a careless action on my part due to some questions that have been troubling my mind! I do not want you, Estel. I do not want to be with you, to render everything that I have to *you*! You mean nothing," Legolas yelled, his ears starting to colour in retrospect to his face.  
  
Later on:  
  
Parting from the shadows, Legolas slipped silently behind the figure and wrapped his left arm around the man's chest as he pointed his blade to the exposed throat. "Who are you and why have you been following me?" Legolas demanded, adding a small, threatening tug to his blade to emphasis his position of command.  
  
*****  
  
Response to reviews:  
  
Kael Kalespel: Oh, he is an annoying little prick, isn't he? Lol, but wait and watch me pull the great old switch-a-roo and make you like him again soon...if that is possible! Yes, I too wondered what would happen if Estel won, but there was no way that I could actually see it happening...yes, I am biased...  
  
Iara: Glad you liked Rolf - I am always really nervous bringing in my own characters - and the fight was quite delicious, wasn't it?  
  
Rabbit of Iron: Ok, your Bond obsession scares me... but thank you anyway, even though I did have to sort through all the mental scaring that started to accumulate after you little description... ;)  
  
Eddie Uwnhai: Once again thank you and I am glad that you are enjoying it, even through all the errors that you find!  
  
Analia: You read it twice? Wow, I don't even think I read it that much! LOL! That's why Eddie up there *points up* always finds all my mistakes! Ok, so it told me ages to work out what you meant be 'rofl' but now I understand! Lol, but no, I did not get it from there. The character was *meant* to be really sneaky an such - like a wolf - so I changed it to Rolf...only after I started writing did I notice that the sneaky went flying out the window, kicked out by the comedy. Oh, I love writing about Legolas kicking arse, so I guess that it is lucky that you like it! ;) And about your computer picture thing...I hate to say it, but maybe you are going insane! LOL! Wow, you are really orientated towards Legolas' bed, aren't you? *Big grin* But oh, I so share your thoughts about him taking his clothes off...*may not be able to continue to reply as she is completely lost in drool worthy thoughts...* Bed...pants...make up your mind...Lol, but yes, don't you just hate Estel now?!?!?!?!?! Well, Estel and Legolas have gotten together now...or have they? And in regards to the others knowing about his other walks in life...well, you will just have to wait and find out! Thank you for your review, and I shall see you again next time!  
  
Sirithiliel: *Is starting to think that she is converting people to Estel haters...* Oh, Rolf seems to be popular, but yes, it was time that there was a little dry humor and someone to make everything seem much worse then it is... Oh, I can see it now, Legolas pushing Estel down the stairs and then saying that he tripped over his boot laces...only to find that he does not have boot laces... Yes, I have far too many thoughts...lol.  
  
Ivorybrowneyes: Elves are fun to make fight...they are so flexible! I am glad that your illness was nothing too serious - are you feeling better yet? But oh, I am like the queen of ear infections - I have really bad asthma, and this one time last year, I got a cold, which lead to asthma, an ear infection, whooping cough and that with my asthma made me cough that hard that the convolutions actually cracked a rib - it was the worst experience, and all cause of a little cold! But, cause I am so nice (HA!) I shall send you and Elladan clone, but keep your hands off my Elrohir who is obviously the hotter of the two identical twins that have never been shown...I have issues...  
  
whispers of an angel: Maybe I should make Legolas go crazy...anyway, thanks for the review!  
  
CareLess: I love the fact that Estel does not know how close to death he has come numerous times...if he only knew what Legolas could do... but yes, he definitely picked the wrong time to try and hit on the Elf! Hehehe, the fight scene was really fun to write...though hard to make myself not kill Estel! *Crazy grin* Lol! If you think that the writing is sarcastic, you should see me in real life...many years of dealing with people that I don't like and yet having to be civil teaches you a few things about sarcasm! Lol. Oh, beating Rolf's head against the wall, that sounds fun... and I am sorry that there was not much 'sarcasm - Minka style' in this chapter, but it does come back...and with vengeance! Lol.  
  
n shute: As you said, each to their own and I am not going to hold your opinion against you. In fact, I am surprised that no one else has voiced his or her own thoughts on said subject.  
  
Eeyaatoe: The 'pimp' idea was randomly pulled from the air one night when I was in a strange mood - but hey, it worked well...and you never really know what that Elf gets up to in his free time... Sadly, I do not think that Rolf will be coming back...at least not in this story, though, if all goes well, I have a few ideas for a sequel...but I am not saying any more about that yet! OH! As you just read, it happened a little differently this time, didn't it? Bet you weren't expecting it! *Eyes turn kinda crazy* One of your favorites? Why thank you, I feel honored!  
  
Tainted Fortune: Yes, I also like showing Estel that, compared to Legolas, he is utterly inferior! Lol. The part with Legolas' arms moving on their own will, in a round about way, be further explained later. It was partly just his instincts to kill, but there is a little more to it then just that... And yes, you finally got to meet the mysterious stranger...  
  
Silvertoekee: Yes, it would appear that Legolas' luck is running out - but that just means more fun for us! Rolf is...well, can I say 'Rolf'? Lol. But yes, I think he is slightly crazy...a little insane and with a death wish... And all your questions will be answered in due time...and oh, more arguments are assured!  
  
Ihni: Alright, I pretty much covered all this when talking to you, so I shall be brief and try to cut these replies down a tad... this story is slash, but not 'oh I love you and lets us go skipping through the flowers.' Even the happenings of this chapter are not all that they seem and are definitely not ones of 'love'. Consider it ignored... Yes, I have a comic side occasionally...does not come out of hiding too much... I told you about Rolf and his current position in this story so I shall skip that... though I can not pass up on commenting on the 'Hollywood-action/comedies' idea! I guess you are right, though I never really thought of it like that. but a movie out of that scene - it would either be one of the shortest movies ever made or win a award for being the longest and most drawn out scene in history! LOL! But oh, I would love to have someone make something that I wrote into a movie - as long as they do not destroy it like they did things like Queen of the Damned and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen... The scorpion kick was when he kicked Estel in the chin from over his shoulder...Trinity did it in the opening scene of the second Matrix movie. And even if Arafuck got this, he is still daft! LOL!  
  
*****  
  
*Pushes Legolas figure over and laughs evilly...* Umm, I would just like to say thank you to all of you for your lovely reviews - they are greatly appreciated!  
  
Also, just on an updating note, there may be a slight delay (only a day or two) on the next chapter, as, as I am sure you all know, it is Halloween next week and that means great, all night party! And since I have a busy week this week, and then the party on the weekend, it may take me an extra few days to get the next chapter finished, though I think I am already close to having it done - will just need all the final touches. Anyway, I just thought that I would let you all know, so if you would excuse me, I shall go and torture the 'Helms Deep Legolas action figure' a little more! Lol!  
  
Once again, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated but for now, I bid you all good-night!  
  
Minka. 


	8. Precautious Equilibrium

As of yesterday, I have officially finished my high school classes! YAY!!! Ok, so I still have two weeks of exams to worry about and a graduation dinner to prepare for, but the actually sitting at school in class pretending to listen is all over!!!!!! *happy dance*  
  
Anyway, I am sorry about the delay but as I said, I was busy last weekend (Halloween party was great!!!!) and then I had tones that I needed to sort out this week just passed that I just did not have the time. But the next chapter is here now, so it is all good. Surprisingly, although we all thought that it would never happen, this is a bit of a shorter chapter - not intentionally - it was just a matter of where things needed to be cut off and where they needed to begin. But yes, a little shorter then most, but I hope you still enjoy it.  
  
Also, sorry for any mistakes as I have hardly read over this chapter - it has been a bitch of a thing to write and now I fully intend on going to bed. It was either post it like this or make you all wait another day...  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Precautious Equilibrium  
  
*****  
  
Hold me now  
  
I'm six feet from the edge  
  
And I'm thinkin'  
  
Maybe six feet ain't so far down  
  
*****  
  
As his eyes slowly adjusted, Estel felt his senses returned to him and his mind clear. With startling clarity he recalled the night before and the aggressive Elf, thus explaining the warm body pressed against his. Eyes wandering down, the human struggled to make out the details of the Elven prince in the dim light. Morning had not yet fully approached, though the sun was well on her way as the moon retreated behind the horizon.  
  
Legolas was curled on his side, the Elf's head resting on Estel's chest as his hair formed a small curtain down the side of the man's body. One arm was looped around Estel's shoulders, the slender wrist and hand lost somewhere within the folds of the large pillows behind the human's head while the other pale limb lay draped carelessly over the man's stomach. Estel himself had already noticed the way that his right arm was wrapped almost protectively around the Elf's slim waist and how his other had been holding onto Legolas' right shoulder, keeping the Elf thoroughly pressed against him in his sleep.  
  
At the sight, a small smile passed over Estel's lips. He liked this, having the slightly glowing beauty in his bed and arms when he awoke in the morning and it was slightly relieving that he had not snuck off during the night. Granted that he did not know Legolas all that well, he did know however that the Elven prince did not seem to be the type to form attachments, especially of this kind.  
  
It was so strange. Estel knew that this would not last, that it was just a lapse in the Elf's state of mind and obviously caused by something plaguing him, but a that very moment, he was prepared to disregard all of that and just smile. He was content to just look down at those open and yet unseeing eyes, the face that was for once peaceful and that stream of golden hair and all he wanted to do - all he could do - was smile.  
  
Gently, he ran his fingers through the cascade of gold which flowed down the others back and shoulders, Estel worked tenderly at the small tangles that had formed during the night. Pushing some of the longer strands away, Estel felt his fingers come in contact with something rough on the skin of the Elf's otherwise flawless back. He peered through the dark, moving his head a little closer as he removed all of the silky curtain, as he allowed his hand to trail gently over the strange marks, using his sense of touch more so then sight to confirm his already growing suspicions.  
  
There were many of them, curling around the archers shoulder blades and stretching down the length of his back. They were long, thin, pale and latticed; a design that Estel knew far too well for his liking. They were the aftereffect of numerous brutal kisses from a whip, and, judging by the amount and the gathered scar tissue, a serious beating. Even more obvious to that fact was the knowledge that Elves did not scar easily. As his hands traveled further he found that the scars ran for longer then he expected some reaching even as far down as the small of Legolas' back.  
  
It was as he made his latest discovery, a heavy frown setting upon his face, that Legolas stirred in his arms. Automatically stopping his roaming hands, Estel peered down at the slowly blinking eyes as he waited for the Elf to come around.  
  
Legolas arched as he woke, a small moan escaping his lips as he stretched his now lazy muscles while wondering vaguely why he felt so warm. He was strangely tired and fully resolved to try and gain a little more rest when his slightly hazy mind identified something as being completely out of the ordinary. There was an arm around his waist...  
  
His face set in horror and his body froze as he realized what must have happened. The happenings of last night came slamming back to him with disturbing clarity and, given his current position, he guessed that must have finally gotten the sleep that he so needed, only it was obviously in the wrong place.  
  
This ruined everything! Normally it was easy. Take what he wanted and leave in the middle of the night - the person got the hint. But Estel...and like this. That was not good at all!  
  
"Hello," Estel said quietly, effectively shattering any hope that Legolas had of the human not being awake or noticing his wakefulness.  
  
Merely offering a grunt in return, Legolas quickly and almost embarrassingly pulled his arm out from the position around the human's neck and removed his other arm from across the others chest. Hoping against hope that, at his actions, Estel would follow suit and let go of his waist, Legolas was once again horrified to find that Estel, in all his aggravating glory, tightened his grip on him.  
  
"Estel," Legolas exclaimed exasperatedly as he tried to pull the human's hands from his waist, "Estel, let go!"  
  
"Why?" the human asked with a small, cheeky grin. "So that you can once again run away?"  
  
"I do not run...now let me go!" Legolas protested as he forced himself into a sitting position, Estel's arms still wrapped around his waist as the human sat up with him. Growling softly in the back of his throat, Legolas shot a warning glare over his shoulder and tugged at the amazingly strong hands once again.  
  
"Estel," he warned, only to have the human lean forward and place a small kiss to the back of his neck. Twisting out of the way as much as he could, Legolas growled yet again as he continued to try and shake the human off him. "Stop it!"  
  
Seeing that he was getting nowhere, Estel decided to try a slightly different approach. "These," he said softly, one arm leaving the Elf's waist so that he could once again touch the old scars. At the soft touch, Legolas stiffened underneath him, his body going rigid as his breath caught. "Where are they from?"  
  
"Stop..."  
  
The pure desperation in the Elf's voice made Estel freeze in his tracks and his hand drop from Legolas' back. Glancing at the Elf's down turned face, he found himself once again gently stroking his hair in hopes of reassuring him. "I would never hurt you. But what are they-"  
  
Before he had time to finish his question, Legolas had forcefully pulled himself out of Estel's arms and was already crossing the room, bundling up all of his discarded possessions. He roughly pushed his hair out of the way, pulled his shirt over his head and slipped on his boots, all the while painfully aware of the eyes that followed his every move. Deciding that his cloak, gauntlets and other such items could be carried, he avoided eye contact with the human as he walked towards the door, his head held uncharacteristically low.  
  
"You do not need to go, you know," Estel said from the bed, stopping the Elf for only a moment. It was a pointless thing to do as Estel knew all too well that Legolas would never stay no matter what he said, but it was the thing that his mind told him to say.  
  
"I know." Legolas stated simply before turning his gaze to Estel's for a mere moment, "It is not that I feel I have to go, but that I do not want to stay."  
  
His words, so clipped and so cold were betrayed by the look in his eyes as he walked out the door. There was something about the way that they seemed to be void of any anger and yet were not emotionless as Estel had come to know. Just that one simple look was enough to tell Estel that there was something wrong - something that was a little worse then waking up in his room.  
  
With a great sigh, Estel half leapt, half fell out of his bed as he dashed around to get his clothes, fully intent on following the Elf and dragging whatever it was that was making him act in such a way out of him no matter what the costs.  
  
*****  
  
As his door opened, Legolas did not even have to look up to know who it was. Drawing in a deep breath, he tried to still the shaking of his hands as he threw garments into his traveling bag, his back constantly to the human.  
  
Estel watched as Legolas moved almost lethargically around the room, collecting items and throwing them to his bed before stuffing them within the confines of his deep green duffle bag. He seemed shaken; the human could see the slight trembling of the Elf's hands even from his seemingly disadvantaged point by the door. Deep down, Estel knew that this was not just a result of last night. Something else plagued the Elf, something that appeared to be more important then what had transpired between them. After all, what had actually sparked Legolas' actions?  
  
"Legolas?" Estel finally dared to whisper, too scared to say anything and yet filled with too much worry to keep his silence. The fact that Legolas had not even acknowledged his presence worried him. Granted that it seemed to be a common occurrence with the Elven Prince, it still seemed wrong that now, of all times, Legolas would not look at him, let alone demand that Estel leave him alone.  
  
"It was a mistake. It really was. I am sorry and...I have to go." Legolas murmured as he hurried his task up. It seemed almost painful to have the human in the room with him, as if Estel were slowly adding pressure to a blade that ran over his skin. The young mans gaze seemed to burn, scorching flesh and causing the imagined warm trickle that was easily identified as blood to run from invisible wounds. Legolas' hand shook like leaves caught in the fierce winds of autumn, his shoulders trembling slightly in a fashion that was utterly alien to him.  
  
He hated it all. The fact that he could not control these reactions, that he felt the way he did and the fact that Estel still stood there, watching him with what Legolas knew would be a gaze close to understanding and concern. But most of all, he hated the fact that he did not know why he was like this. How could the young man have such an affect on him? Why did he care that whenever he looked to Estel he wondered if the human's life would suddenly be wrapped up in the darkest parts of Legolas' life; that Estel may find himself sinking so deeply in all that Legolas had done that the human's life might be placed in as much danger as Legolas' at the current point in time? Why did he care?  
  
"It was a mistake," he mumbled again, still refusing to turn towards the human as he pushed a small pouch of herbs into his bag.  
  
A step. Estel was moving forward, as much of a surprise to Legolas as it was to the human himself. All that Estel really knew, all that he was utterly certain of was that there was something seriously wrong with the Elf and yet something that he was not seeing. Something that he had been denied. That and the fact that as strong as Legolas wanted to make himself seem, even he had his limits, his boundaries - his breaking point - and, if the way his entire body shook with each movement, the way he found it difficult to do up the ties of the bag and the way that his head did not lift were signs that could be trusted, he was treacherously close to stepping over that dangerous line. Of passing that point of no return.  
  
"It was no mistake," Estel said quietly, not wanting to scare the nervous being that fumbled with the opening of his pack.  
  
Grunting in frustration, angry with both himself for being so weak and his pack for being so difficult, Legolas tried to ignore the soothing tones of the man's voice just as he attempted to push the fact that Estel was stepping closer from his mind. He had to do this; it was the only way that insured safety and perhaps even sanity. "Yes it-"  
  
His whispered words of protest were cut off when hands closed around his own, arms slipping around his waist as the human gently pulled Legolas' shaking hands from the strings of the knapsack. The bag all but discarded, Estel made his movements deliberately slow, making sure that nothing that he did came as a surprise to the Elf that stood rigidly still between his arms.  
  
Allowing his hands to ghost up Legolas' arms, the very tips of his fingers offering a light caress, Estel changed direction once he reached Legolas' elbows, his hands coming to the Elf's sides. Each hand gently fell upon either side of the slender waist of the unmoving being as the human's fingers sprayed out over the soft cloth and his thumbs draw small, calming circles.  
  
As soon as Estel's hands graced up his arms, Legolas' eyes fluttered closed on their own accord. His lips slightly parted, he found his breath being drawn in a shaky half-gasps. It felt so strange; all of it did. Not to be in control, not to be able to deny himself anything to do with the one that he seemed to need. To feel the man's hands on him, acting so gently, so cautiously and soothingly while they moved as if they had a mind of their own. All he wanted to do was succumb to that touch, render to that deep longing in his heart and actually allow himself this one flaw, this one weakness.  
  
Estel's hands tightened ever so slightly as his fingers crept across the material, gaining a better hold so that he could turn the Elf in his arms. Too obsessed with his own inner conflict, Legolas complied, submitting to that tender caress and bending to Estel's wants, all the while with his eyes tightly shut as if he believed that if he could not see it, it was not real.  
  
Faced with the Prince for the first time, Estel peered down at the closed eyes, the parted lips and the soft flush that coloured Legolas' otherwise pale flesh as he searched for the right words. "Legolas, talk to me." He gently urged, his arms moving on their own accord to close around the Elf's waist and held him close.  
  
"What?" Legolas asked with his eyes still firmly closed as he battled within him self; to surrender or to pretend that these tender touches did not exist. Just a fragment of an over worked and stressed mind. Yet Estel's words had startled him, caused him to want to lift the lids of his eyes and risk revealing the emotions that played through his mind in the startling blue depths.  
  
Estel could see it all. See the struggle within the Elf, the terror that held such a strong grip on his consciousness and the desperate yearning to run and hide that his closed eyes betrayed. "Talk to me," he finally repeated, "whatever it is that you are keeping hidden away in there," he moved one of his hands up and in front of him, touching the tips of his fingers lightly to Legolas' heart before doing the same to the Elf's temple. "Tell me."  
  
He wanted to scream at his own weakness, at the fact that all he wanted to do was allow him legs to turn to water and to collapse into the caring embrace of the human before him; of the human that threatened so dangerously to shatter his outer walls. But it was pure folly! Utter stupidity and a notion that should not have been conceived let alone contemplated.  
  
All his life he had never found any reason to feel this way - so vulnerable - and there was no logical reason for him to start experiencing it now. If anything, now was the time that he should be strong, after all, he had most of Middle-Earths assassins after his head. He needed to be clear of mind, free of all bourdons and Estel was definitely a troublesome bourdon and a distraction of the mind.  
  
Resolve setting in, his mind finally back in control even it if meant the breaking of his heart, Legolas lifted his previously dead limbs up, his hands clasping about Estel's elbows. Pushing back at the human, Legolas took a moment to make sure that all that he thought of was the fact that he was fine before he opened his eyes, glaring directly into the humans.  
  
"Th-there's nothing to tell...!" he said as he started to push Estel away, hoping that the false determined look in his eyes would be enough to make Estel back down.  
  
Seeing the Elf try to push him away with both his hands and his eyes, Estel decided that it was high time he stopped playing the compliant one, even if it included being as brash as he had been the first day they had met. With his hands tightening around the skin they held - one around Legolas' waist and the other around his right arm - Estel pushed the Elf forcefully backwards until the archers back hit against the wall of the room. Pressing himself against Legolas, Estel pinned the Elf's strong right arm to the wall as he pulled Legolas' middle closer to him, his right arm looped right around the Prince's middle.  
  
The move caught Legolas utterly unprepared and before he knew it, he found himself effectively trapped between Estel's body and the wall with no way out. Automatically he started to struggle, pushing against the human with his free hand and trying to use his feet to create some legroom from the wall. But Estel held fast, his grip tight enough to keep the Elf in his trapped place and yet not firm enough to hurt.  
  
"Let me go!" Legolas demanded only to immediately regret it as his voice become more of a desperate plea then his normally study commands.  
  
His head leaning down and in so that he could press his forehead against the Elf's keeping Legolas from looking away, Estel peered into the fretful blue eyes and asked, "What are you so afraid of?"  
  
Shaking his head loose, Legolas looked to the right, breaking the fierce gaze as quickly as he could. How was it that Estel could see through all that which no one else could? If there was not actually something that Legolas was afraid of, that mere fact alone would have terrified him.  
  
"Talk to me." Again his voice was gentle, concerned despite the compromising and threatening position. His eyes tried to search out the Elf's but the attempt proved to be futile as Legolas dipped his head down and strained his neck to the right. With the threat of losing this more venerable side of Legolas any moment, Estel pressed against the archer a little tighter, bringing his lips down to ghost across Legolas' neck as he once again pleaded, "Please..."  
  
"I...its just..." Legolas stumbled over his words. He did not want to say anything, did not want to talk to this over assumptive human who dared to think that he could control him, and yet his voice seemed to be working under its own agenda. Words were forming, slipping past his tongue and through his parted lips all without his consent and in an incoherent blabber. "I....it is everything...I..."  
  
Legolas knew that within a heartbeat he was about to tell Estel; about to reveal all that he had worked so hard to keep concealed. He felt as if he could not stop it, could not delay that which was unavoidable.  
  
And so he did what he always did when that overwhelming flood of helplessness, fear or even the slightest hint of uncertainty crept upon him. He retreated; fled deep into himself and allowed that seemingly wiser, stronger and nigh on untouchable part of him take over. Once again the prince of Mirkwood stood back, making way for that ruthless, instinct driven side of him that would never tell, would never run the risk of crumbling in the man's arms.  
  
The change was almost instantaneous. His once bowed head snapped up, his eyes flashing with anger and danger as they locked fearsomely onto Estel's. Legolas' arms moved on their own - unbidden and without thought - to come up between the restraining ones of Estel's. In one swift movement, Legolas had hooked his elbows over Estel's arms and, after yanking down, freed himself of the others grasp. With one solid and forceful push, he sent the young human wheeling back as the Elf spat, "I do not want to tell you!"  
  
Estel had known that something like this would happen for some a while; he had merely been gifted with borrowed time and, as the hateful glare in Legolas' eyes suggested, he had not used it properly. He had failed in breaking the Elf down and now the price would be costly.  
  
"Legolas..." he tried to reason, taking a step forward only to have the dark loathing in the Elf's eyes glow brighter.  
  
"No!" Although only one word, it spoke volumes. Whatever it was that had changed his demeanor, Estel had to face the fact that it was fully set in.  
  
"You need me." Estel finally stated as his desperation and stubborn reversal to give in saw to it that he was finally scraping the bottom of the barrel. But deep inside he knew the truth - one look at the Elf could prove that. Anything that they had shared - should have shared - as a result of the night before was lost. Scattered to the wind and never to return. Estel would not be given even the slightest chance to get close to Legolas again, not after this confrontation, and, it was with a sinking heart, that the human forced himself to admit that Legolas was as good as utterly lost. There was nothing more that Estel could try to do.  
  
"Do not flatter yourself!" Already Estel could hear the harsh, clipped and bitter tones creeping back into the Elf's voice, a sure sign that he had well and truly reverted to his practically unapproachable self.  
  
"I am not," Estel continued, not willing to surrender so easily. It was fruitless, he knew that, but somewhere deep inside he still cling to the hope that if he but scratched the surface, caused a ripple on that cold exterior, he may just be able to slip past the harsh words and find that confused and frightened Elf that had come to him last night. "I told you once before, I can see it in your eyes. You need someone to talk to and at the moment, whether you want to admit it or not, that someone is me. You want to tell me why you are like this, what you are so afraid of."  
  
"Do not be absurd!" Legolas laughed at him as he finally moved from his position against the wall and shoved his way past Estel. "I am afraid of nothing and I most certainly do not need you!" Even with his back turned, Estel could picture the look on the others face, that tight jaw, the slightly narrowed and darkened eyes and that condescending tone playing at the contours of his face.  
  
"I am not-"  
  
"Estel, you are a fool!" Legolas interjected as he swung around, glaring the human down yet again as he stopped the man before he could say anything else which Legolas did not wish to hear - could not hear. "You are blinded by what you think is something which it clearly is not. So do not speak words of love and understanding, or even of need when you know naught of the sort, especially in regards to me!"  
  
"Legolas if you would but give me a chance, so that I could speak such which even you would believe; that you would know to be true!"  
  
"Why do you still refuse to understand?" Legolas yelled, disregarding the others pleading to be heard. The Elf's face was a strange shade of red, his eyes narrowed and seemingly penetrating the human's very soul as if he were stabbing him with shards of ice. "How can you be so blind to the real point? Last night was a mistake, Estel, a careless action on my part! I do not want you, Estel. I do not want to be with you, to render everything that I have to *you*! You mean NOTHING," Legolas avowed with distaste, his ears starting to colour in retrospect to his face. At the look which swept across the human's face, Legolas allowed himself a single moment to regain some of his compositor and to calm him voice to more of a gentle gushing admission of his vague feelings. "Why will you not understand that? Speak not of love and any such folly akin to it for I do not wish to hear it!"  
  
Estel recoiled a step, as if the words had physically slapped him across the face. Tongue darting out to place a sweeping lick across his lips, Estel bowed his head and dropped his gaze, letting the Elf's words truly wash over him.  
  
They stood in silence for a small eternity, each lost in their own thoughts. Amidst the yelling and screaming they had moved further apart, Estel standing closer to the door and Legolas back near the raised dais of his bed. But now, once the echoes of the hate filled words had ceased, a strange calm crept its way over them, settling like a dark cloud above both their heads and weighing their spirits down even further.  
  
Finally it was Estel who broke the silence, his heart and mind telling him to say something and yet neither sure on what. Glancing up at the Elf, he regarded Legolas with a cold and yet almost emotionless gaze. Nothing could be deduced from his usually expressive eyes and the unstrained line of his lips hinted at neither hurt nor anger. He was just oddly calm; like a still brook which remained untouched and undisturbed by the world around it.  
  
"You know what Legolas," he started, his voice as calm as his face appeared to be. The tones did not tremble, did not swell with emotion and were not spat out with hatred. They were just words spoken into the silence of the room, haunting and emotionless and verbalized as if Legolas was not even there. "I should have realized this the first day that I met you. Remember, you were alone in the gardens? You were alone because no one wanted to be around you. Yes, you are beautiful, Valar only knows that you are and that could have anyone and anything you wanted by just flashing that smile." He paused for a moment in thought, half expecting Legolas to interrupt, to protest against the evaluation, but the Elf remained dolefully silent, his head bowed as he took in the words. "Perhaps...perhaps the reason you do not wish to hear words of love is because you know that no one could ever *really* love you. Not real love; nothing pure because you are bitter, cynical, self-righteous and cold."  
  
Estel expected Legolas to fly into a rage, to once again yell and shout out his protests, but the Elf remained still and with his head bowed. Again there was silence between them as the clouds above their heads swelled and churned, darkening and pressing closer upon both their hearts and minds.  
  
"Get out..." Legolas finally whispered while not even lifting his eyes from the floor as he quietly commanded the human to leave. He was through with shouting, with the arguments and the hate enforced words - all he wanted was to be left alone.  
  
"With pleasure," Estel muttered. His eyes were closed off and unrevealing, not even holding that half hidden sense of mocking that they usual did when he fought with the Elf. Once again bowing his head, Estel turning slowly and almost lethargically and made his way to the door. He opened it, walked through and allowed the door to close softly behind him without so much as a backward glance or a single sound as he left the Elf alone.  
  
Legolas stood ridged and still, unable to move and not wanting to even if he could. Vacant eyes started to the floor as his mind was overthrown, swarmed by the darkness of his own thoughts and pulled into uncertainty. He had never felt so confused, so conflicted within in his entire life.  
  
He could feel that sense of rebellion rising up in him, the telltale sign that the ruthless assassin in him wanted to release some of the pent up anger. And yet, at the same time, there was that quieter part of him, that part that begged him to just stop for once. To just collapse and try to shield his head and heart from all his thoughts and emotions. His head felt like the crowded common room of some busy tavern; thoughts and alien feelings making themselves know in the worst of ways possible. He wanted to hate Estel, wanted to listen to him, wanted to hurt him, be rid of him and yet he longed to be close, to see that look in the human's eyes that Legolas could never quite place. No, most of all he wanted the human to leave him alone. To allow him to stay to his own devices and to remain as he always had; unfeeling, 'cold' as Estel had put it.  
  
That was the truth. That was his heart speaking for once; not those instincts that made him a killer or that voice in his head that made him want to repent. It was his heart that wanted to be alone, that wanted Estel to be out of his life so that he would not have to feel like this ever again. Never felt so confused, so frightened, hurt and alone. That was it. He only felt alone now because of Estel. Because of the fact that the human had not left him alone and the way that Legolas had in turn used him. After all, the only way one can be alone is after they have been left behind or forgotten.  
  
A long, labored sigh passed over his lips as his hands rose to press against the sides of his temples. His head pounded, his eyes were slightly blurry and his stomach churned as his head whirled as if he had been spinning on the spot for a great length of time. His fingers moved from his temples to press against his eyes in an attempt to get the strange nauseous feel to stop when the sound of his door bursting open diverted his dizzy head from its own lamentation.  
  
Perplexed, cloudy eyes full of inquiry lifted from the floor and wandered slowly to the door where they fell upon a sight that saw the Elf's jaw tighten, his eyes blink and his body stiffen. The first thing that he saw was Estel, held limply between two large men and with a small trail of blood seeping from his right temple. Then he saw the others behind them - about six in total and all heavily armed - before his eyes finally fell upon the psychotically grinning man that lead the group, standing in the front and middle of the pack.  
  
"Surprise!" Verdox sung out as his smile grew wider.  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
*****  
  
Next chapter preview:  
  
"Ah, finally," Verdox exclaimed with a triumphant smile. "The great and powerful Legolas brought to his knees before me." His voice was scolding and patronizing as he looked down at the restrained Elf with contempt. "And all due to some stupid human - ironic, do you not think?"  
  
Later on:  
  
Propping himself up against the tree, Legolas looked out to the horizon as he closed his hand around the shaft of the arrow. Concentrating on clearing his mind of anything but that beautiful sky, he took a deep swig from his flask of ale and, on the mental count of three, snapped the shaft at the beginning of his skin.  
  
*****  
  
Replies to Reviews:  
  
For the sake of keeping this short - has anyone else noticed that they are starting to rival the chapter for length...I talk too much - I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and please, if I do not personally reply, do not think, not for an instant, that your review was not appreciated. I love them all and am greatly honored to receive them. So thank you all!!  
  
Ok...  
  
Bruised Lady: The 'black Velvet' thing was from the song by Alannah Myles called, strangely enough 'Black Velvet'. I had it stuck in my head when I wrote it, so I just included a few of the lyrics. It is an old song, but a good one - at least in my opinion.  
  
Addict: I am sorry that 'my type and I' put you through so much stress...guess you went grey over the end of this chapter.... ;) but in my own defense, tender happiness is not my thing and I think I did say it somewhere... oh, you are on holidays...? Well then, I guess you won't see this until you get back so let me say that I hope you had a good time! Lol, thank you, though I must admit that I am actually rather scared of my imagination - I should not let it out so often (plus the little bitch bites when I try to stuff it back in its cage). The Mistress of Pain? Who, may I ask, is that? *wonders if she needs to fight someone else for her throne of 'pointless torture and hurt'* And yes, Legolas as kick ass, independent assassin does have a slight appeal to it... LMAO! Why does everyone think that poor old Estel has some greater, sinister purpose in all this???? Oh, more deprived childhood people! YAY!!! We should unite!  
  
Z: So Legolas is going around being crazy killer/assassin and you are worried about Estel being out of character? LOL! Fair enough. But yes, Estel is a little more childish in the story because, well, he is much younger then the Aragorn that you all know and, well, I like him better if he has more quirks and is a little less serious. Sorry about that.  
  
Tainted Fortune: Yes, Legolas is very conflicted within himself, that is why, as the story goes on, you will be able to see little changes - he using Estel was one of those. It wasn't expected? YAY! I still have the element of surprise! Oh, there are far too many lovey-dovey slash stories out there!! What happened to the good old slash where the characters were still strong and yet full of angst?  
  
Ihni: Lol, if you look close, you will find many mistakes! But yes, you are right and, once again, I remind you that I am not a good dictionary for you as I can not spell! Oh, Elf pain is coming - believe me - it was just that I could not hurt him there else he would not be capable of later adventures... Oh, it is for the best! But I do agree with you, I hate romance in stories and it is only with the Legolas/Aragorn slash pair that I can even think about putting in even the smallest touch of 'love' and said shite! Lol. Oh 'jam' - such wisdom...Jam (v) 1a. squeeze, cram, or wedge into a space. B. become wedged. 2. cause (machinery etc.) to become wedged...need I really go on??? Lol, there, that was your human dictionary talking...  
  
Rosie: *Uses fishing rod to reel you I further* ;) I am glad that you liked it and thank you so much for leaving a comment - it really makes my day! Where is it going? Well, at the moment, it is all over the place! Lol. I have far too many thoughts and only a limited window to get them all into. But I hope that no one will see the ending coming...  
  
Analia: LOL! I am glad that someone picked up on the strange choice of song...  
  
I too was looking forward to Legolas' escape from Rivendell, but at the time the damn muses refused to help me out so I was forced to do it the way you read it. As to what happens when he comes back...well, you will see next chapter and the chapter after that... though, once again, you are there giving me all these ideas and I am here thinking 'now why the hell didn't I do that?' LOL  
  
Oh, it is wonderful writing the fight scenes. Far too much fun for a sadistic person like me! I too have always wanted to be an assassin - thought it would be so cool! But yes, I hate seeing Legolas get his ass kicked - I love to see him in pain, get tortured etc, etc, but I do not like to see him *try* to fight and end up being saved by Aragorn... that annoys me more then anything! A little bit of Zorro? Where? Lol, I like that movie...sort of...depends on my mood! Lol. And remorse is fun...sometimes... I am sorry if you were disappointed about the 'not-in- control' Legolas and the end scene. I was really iffy about it myself, but I needed something to set all this up and, well, I am not a romantic, so personally I thought it woul be much more fun (and better eliminate any chances of it turning into some sappy thing) if Legolas just used him. ;)  
  
Exrated: I am sorry if you are upset, but writing said nighttime scene is not my specialty, and something that is, for all of our sanity (or lack there of) left out. And I am trying very hard not to 'fade to black'!!  
  
Ivorybrowneyes: Glad you liked! As for the Elf clones, I refuse to hand over my Elrohir. As I said, you can have Elladan... *offers you Elf* or, here, have Figwit and Meorof (yes...my friend and I created Meorof - Mystery Elf on Right of Figwit...we have issues...)  
  
Rabbit of Iron: Ick...rugby... and shield Legolas keeps falling over...useless unbalanced Elf...lol! Oh, but he is still insanly fun! And there will be more chapters like that...I think.  
  
lego 4ever: Thank you! I am honored that you took the time to review.  
  
Eddie Uwnhai: The Elf thing was something that was drummed into my head by my first beta and, well, it has stuck and is a case of you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I kinda like it in a way - proves that they are above everyone else as they get a capital... Moving on, once again thank you for the corrections - I am hoping to have the time to actually go through and change them all soon...just need to get through these exams. But yes, it is kinda sad, and I hoped that the silence and kind of defeat that hung above them at the end of this chapter helps to prove that. See them happy!? HA!!!  
  
Sirithiliel: Let's corrupt them all!!!! But oh, that sounds fun...like, Legolas goes to help him by giving him the end of a branch to hold on to, but the Elf misses and instead uses the branch to push his head under water??? *eyes light up* Ok, now I am just confused...Legolas went back to Rivendell and to Estel's room, where he used him, thus ending the last chapter. Where were you? Lol - sorry, it is late so I am obviously missing something important here... ;)  
  
Iara: I am very happy that you liked it!  
  
CareLess: Once again, there was not much sarcasm this chapter...sorry about that. There may be some next, then probably none the chapter after that, BUT, after that it will be back into full swing. We just hit the more serious middle climax of the story so it is hard to put any in there. and yes, Legolas has some serious issues - most of which will probably never be worked out... oh, you are good - with his feelings being his downfall...they will rip him apart! Hahahahaha! 'A twisted, psychological puzzle'? Wow, I like it! Lol. But that is what I am hoping to get across, and even more so as we near this part of the story...fun fun! Lol - the Halloween party was great - had a blast. Again, I have to ask if you are a mind reader as I went as a bit of a slutty gothic dominatrix... Fun times, I say! LOL!  
  
Silvertoekee: AHHH! I SO want to see Kill Bill, but I am not old enough! I can't get in! I mean, look at what I write - what MY mind comes up with and yet stupid rating people sit there and say that such a movie is not suitable for someone of my age! RUBBISH! Grrrr! ...sorry about that... and oh, you know, you are the only person to mention something about what Legolas was writing...hehe... at this point in time, Legolas does not know about Estel's true identity but I am guessing that that will come out sooner or later... Yes, I want to show that Aragorn was not always so...dirty..? Lol, no, seriously, I want him to have his other side; his more childish side. And yes, lots of candy was eaten...argh...Lol.  
  
*****  
  
Ok, once again, to anyone that I did not personally thank, I'll take this time to once again say THANK YOU!  
  
All right, that is all from me. I hope you enjoyed it and I shall see you all next week!  
  
Minka. 


	9. Let the Game Commence

*Is sitting here munching on celery* Ok, here we are again! Getting sick of me yet? I don't think that I have ever kept an updating timeline so well before...it is odd...I think I need to see a doctor or something. All right, there is a little bit of fun this chapter, but most of it is made up of a fair bit of talking... couldn't be helped... but I hope you like it anyway. Also, things happen pretty quick in this chapter, so be prepared for a number of things - especially emotions - to linger on next chapter and be better explored.  
  
Oh, and the alternate title for this chapter is 'The shit has hit the Fan' but I didn't think that that was all that appropriate!  
  
*****  
  
The Thrill of the Chase  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Let the Game Commence  
  
*****  
  
"You are so beautiful, Legolas, but you are just *so* bitter!" Verdox mocked, showing just how long he had been waiting out in the hallway.  
  
At the use of his name, Legolas could not stop the small flare of fear from exploding in his eyes and his jaw from tightening even more.  
  
"Oh yes, your identity is blown, *Legolas*," Verdox emphasized the name to better prove his point. "Perhaps someone in your line of work should watch what other people say even behind closed doors." Leaning forward and raising an eyebrow, he added with a great smile, "Never know who's listening!"  
  
"How did you get in here?" Legolas demanded, trying to keep his heart from racing. They knew his name. From there it was only one small step to finding his home, his father, friends; his important status. If that knowledge fell into their hands, all bets were off and this entire situation would become a whole lot worse. The scenarios were a horror to even consider. Ransom, extortion of Mirkwood's defenses and secrets, and, what's more, they had a way to get such a thing from him.  
  
Estel.  
  
At the thought, Legolas risked a small glance at the restrained human. He was slowly coming around, whether that was a good thing or not, Legolas did not know. All he knew was that, as much as the young man annoyed him and got under his skin, he was the innocent in all of this and thus every part of Legolas screamed out to protect him just as he had Gruthfrid in Larnfield. And at the moment, the best way to protect him was to ignore him and hope that none of the intruders could see past the barrier of hate which still boiled away at the surface of the Elf.  
  
Returning his steady gaze to Verdox - after all, it would do neither of them any good if it appeared as if he were planning something in regards to Estel - Legolas just waited for the crazed human to reply.  
  
Verdox merely clicked his tongue at the young Elf, shaking his head as if in disappointment. "That was not the first question that I expected from you..." Verdox reprimanded while sounding slightly frustrated, "'What do you want?' was what I actually expected. Why I am here, in my opinion, is much more important as to how I got here."  
  
"Quite playing games, Verdox," Legolas snarled. He did not have the patience for this. With each passing moment he was getting a little more frantic inside, though he would never allow even the slightest hint of his desperation to show. He would rather die before giving them that satisfaction. He just wanted this all over and done with. To fight and leave the outcome up to his skills and chance to decided. But first, first he had to suffer through his small talk and play along. Besides, he had no weapon and even though he prided himself on his abilities, there were just a few too many, with too many swords and they were all far too close to Estel.  
  
His mind racing, Legolas thought back to when he had been packing his bag. The clothes he had piled on the bed or stuffed into the knapsack, medical supplies and a few rations had gone into the small pouch at the front of his bag and...his twin knives had been thrown unceremoniously onto the far end of the bed.  
  
He did not look there, but as clearly as he was able to predict an opponent's next move, he saw his past actions like a play in his head. They should be under one of his tunics that he had thrown to the bed at the last minute. To the far side, upper left corner and blades facing into the middle of the bed.  
  
Now all he had to do was make sure that neither Verdox or any of his men noticed them. That in mind, he made sure to listen to everything that Verdox said, to respond as he should be expected and to keep his eyes forward at all times. He could not even risk a glance in that direction.  
  
"Oh, but I like playing games." The human almost pouted, a look which proved to be both alien to his face and rather off-putting. "So come now Legolas, play civil and humor me."  
  
"Fine," Legolas growled, his upper lip curling up ever so slightly as he went along with the banter for the human's amusement. "Why are you here, Verdox?"  
  
At that the man just laughed, his smile stretching almost unnaturally across his face. "You do not honestly think that I am going to tell you that so easily...it takes all the fun from drawing it out."  
  
With a wave of his hand, Verdox summoned three men forward, two which headed towards Legolas and circled behind him and the other which hurried to the end of the bed, snatching up the two Elven blades.  
  
Legolas' hope plummeted, sank like a small ship with a broken hull. Actually allowing his eyes to flutter closed in defeat for the briefest of moments he found, much to his eternal horror, that he had no other plans of escape. If he had made it to his weapons he would have stood a chance of getting both himself and Estel out and, hopefully, with both of them alive.  
  
Now? Now he was once again lost only this time on a completely different scale. Even to him, he who would try anything at least once, there were logically far too many armed men to even attempt to take on single-handedly and weaponless. Plus, all they had to do was threaten Estel and he would be effectively stopped in his tracks. If the human had not been there then he would have tried it, he knew that. It was better that he tried to escape or die in the process then allow those men the time to find out his true identity and social position. But he could not do that with Estel there, and he cold not leave him behind.  
  
Once again he cursed both the foolish human and that aggravating little voice in his head that would not allow him to make a break for it and abandon that reckless man.  
  
"We do not want you to try anything stupid now, do we?" Verdox said as if he were talking to a small child as he passed the blades to his biggest assistant. The tone of his voice was the closest thing that Legolas had ever heard to someone that had more issues of the mind then he. Verdox was utterly psychotic; his eyes wide and filled with madness as they flared when he smiled that unnatural grin of his.  
  
Somewhere in the back of his mind, the side of him that was almost as insane as Verdox pondered the thought of whether or not the man also had an annoying little voice in his head...  
  
A loud groan filled the room and automatically Legolas knew that Estel had come back to the land of the wakeful - sadly enough for him. It would have been better if Estel had just stayed unconscious; it would have been better for both of them.  
  
"Ah," Verdox sung out slightly as he looked to the blinking human, "It seems that we have a new player in this little game. Fun, is it not?"  
  
"Legolas...?" Estel groaned out, trying to remember what had happened. He could recall waking up with the Elf, following him to his room and then...then there had been an argument and he had left. The rest was a blur and all he knew what that it hurt his already pounding head even more to try and think on the subject. He also vaguely wondered why it was that he was not lying down as he so wished he could be.  
  
"Shh," Legolas hushed him quickly. The less attention Estel brought upon himself, the better.  
  
Estel forced his head to rise only to find that the room was spinning strangely. Blinking rapidly again, he tried to clear his vision as he wondered why there was a large number of people were in Legolas' room and why two of them were holding him from the floor. Feeling his head grow heavy and feel as if it were three sizes too big, Estel allowed his neck to slacken and his head to drop once again as he concentrated on trying to regain his bearings.  
  
"See, this is where the really fun begins," Verdox smiled as, with a nod of his head, Legolas sensed the men behind him closing in. Having no other choice, Legolas stayed were he was and resisted the urge to attempt anything that someone like Rolf would deem 'reckless'.  
  
The two men grabbed his shoulders and roughly pushed him to the floor by sweeping his legs out from underneath him. Not wishing to put Estel in any more danger then he already was, Legolas complied if only a little reluctantly, and landed hard on his knees on the floor. The men stayed by his sides, their hands locked around his shoulder and the junction to his throat to best keep him in his kneeling position and be able to angle his head up.  
  
"Ah, finally," Verdox exclaimed with a triumphant smile. "The great and powerful Legolas brought to his knees before me." His voice was scolding and patronizing as he looked down at the restrained Elf with contempt. "And all due to some stupid human - ironic, do you not think?"  
  
Sparing a quick glance to the confused Estel, Legolas quickly turned his heated gaze back on the man that leered above him.  
  
"Let him go-" Legolas began, knowing that he had absolutely nothing to lose.  
  
"It is me that you want..." Verdox mocked with a cruel grin and a quick smile to his now snickering men. "Do you honestly think that I have not heard that before? Or that I have ever given into such a pathetic plea? Now, be silent for a moment."  
  
Legolas would have given anything to have a weapon, or at least the smallest inkling of a plan that could possibly work. He hated being so helpless, hated needing to have to submit so that did not risk Estel's life - a life that he was not all that fussed on in the first place.  
  
"Verdox," Legolas began again while ignoring the vicious tugging at his hair which told him to keep quiet. "He knows nothing! He can do you no harm. So just let him-"  
  
At this, a cruel and inhuman smile swept across Verdox's face, his eyes glinting with unconcealed malice.  
  
"He knows nothing?" he asked while crouching down next to the prince. "Nothing, you say?" Shooting a look back at the glaring human, a small laugh escaped his lips as he saw the faint hints of questioning within the young man's eyes.  
  
"He does not know what you are." Verdox stated with a self-assured sense of glee. "What you do?" his hand moved up to cup the restrained Elf's cheek, running his fingers over the smooth, flawless surface while brushing his thumb against Legolas' lower lip.  
  
"Whatever you want, Verdox," Legolas sighed out, resisting the urge to pull away and bite that thumb. "Whatever you want, I will give you. Just let him go."  
  
The Elf did his best to sound submissive and pleading through the repulsion that he felt with the man's thumb circling his cheek. He wanted to sound self-sacrificing though it was hardly sincere. All he wanted to do was keep the attention on him as long as possible and, if his plea and promise worked, Estel would be out of the picture so that Legolas could attempt something. *Anything*.  
  
"And keep quiet about what you really are...?" Verdox finished as he trailed his fingers over the point of the Elf's ear. At this Legolas put on the show of his life. Breathing deeper and quicker as he arched his neck, he made sure that Verdox was well aware of the way that his chest rose and fell, and the pumping of his blood in this long neck. Looking up at the man through slightly fluttering eyelashes, Legolas forced a small flush to his cheeks in a desperate attempt to seduce the man.  
  
Verdox's hand moved further around his head, the fingers burying themselves in the Elf's blond hair as his thumb continued to explore the planes of Legolas' face with small, roaming circles. He leaned closer as his eyes studied every aspect of the Elf before him; his eyes, his lips and those slightly flushed cheeks. One more tiny movement and his lips were almost brushing against Legolas' as his warm breath tickled the Elf's skin.  
  
"No deal!" he said maliciously before applying a lightening quick lick to Legolas' lips.  
  
Instantaneously Legolas' façade crumbled as he pulled his face away with a snarl of disgust. It was high time that he admitted defeat in getting Estel set free; Estel who was currently glaring at Verdox as is he were the embodiment of Sauron himself.  
  
The look in Estel's eyes was both murderous and rather possessive, and, for a mere moment, Legolas allowed himself to be slightly flattered by the fact. The human looked as if he wanted to rip Verdox's tongue out of his head and Legolas was quite sure that Estel would have tried if he had not been restrained so successfully by the group of men.  
  
It was then that Estel turned to look towards Legolas, the emotions in his eyes changing almost instantly. Legolas wanted to look away, and yet for the life of him he could not bring himself to just ignore the human in such a way, especially at such a time.  
  
'You all right?' Estel mouthed to the rather shocked Elf who found that all he could do was nod his assent. With an arched eyebrow, Legolas implied the same query, his eyes moving to the blood that ran down the man's face to better express his silent question.  
  
'Been bett...'  
  
Any further attempts at communicating were put on hold as Verdox came and stood right between them, blocking each other from sight and drawing Legolas' eyes up.  
  
"You are good, Legolas," Verdox admitted, "You almost had me going there! But then again, you are good at whatever you do. Not playing the part of a whore as well as an assassin, are you?"  
  
"What? You lie!"  
  
Legolas shuddered at the sound of Estel's protests, his eyes falling closed as if he believed that he could shut it all out if he could not see anything. He had never thought about telling Estel what it was that he actually did - what was actually wrong with him as, in his opinion, Estel was still that annoying, aggravating human that had cornered him in the garden and taken far too much for granted. He was still a liability, someone that could be used against him just as he was now. Granted that Legolas was worried for him and would protect him, it did not mean that his opinion had changed from the argument that had only just transpired. Estel still meant nothing and last night had been a grave mistake on Legolas' part. It was not a commitment, not some declaration of feelings that Legolas felt for the human as those emotions did not exist within Legolas. They were the things that would get him killed, someone hurt and cause situations just like this, meaning that they had rightly been cast out years ago. Yet despite all that and the fact that he did not want Estel to know about him at all, he had no wish for Estel to find out like this.  
  
"His is an assassin; he kills people for money." Verdox turned towards Estel with a smirk as he answered the human's question.  
  
"I do not believe it..."  
  
"I kill people for money, yes," Legolas protested, his eyes still closed as he tried to get his side of the story into the light before Verdox had the chance to continue. "But I kill people like you, Verdox. People that steal innocent lives."  
  
"Innocent? No such creature!" Verdox spat with disgust, moving back to Legolas. "But is that really what you tell yourself?" he asked with a frown and a slight hint of curiosity, "Is that what enables you to sleep at night after you just slaughtered someone in that vicious, bloodthirsty way that you seem to favor?"  
  
"It is not like that Verdox, and you know it."  
  
"Little one," the man chided with a wiggle of his finger and a small click of his tongue, "Tell him the truth."  
  
"I have," the Elf snarled. "It is you who stretches the truth, you who-"  
  
"What about that rush you get?" Verdox interrupted, torn between looking at the confused and devastated human and looking at the fuming, protesting Elf. "That thrill that tingles up your spine whenever you finish a job," he continued as he decided to just watch Legolas. It was far more fun that way. "Tell him how you merely smile at the pleas and tearful begging of your targets; that is if you actually allow them the chance. Tell him how your primal instincts soar if they run, if they struggle and how you enjoy killing them all the more afterwards. Be truthful and tell him that you were born to kill and that you live for it."  
  
Legolas dropped his head, refusing to look at either Verdox or Estel. After all, how could he fight against something that he knew was true in his head. Yes, he killed criminals, and yes, he collected money for it, but at the same time and to his shame, he did enjoy the chase. That was what it was all about. The hunt, the thrill and the knowledge that what he was doing was beyond dangerous.  
  
"You are just a cold blooded killer looking for an excuse to justify your disgusting actions. That is all. You are no noble righter of wrongs, just a murderer like all of us."  
  
"No." The protest was weak even to Legolas. But why deny it? Why cover his lies with more? There was no point, the truth was out - at least to Estel - and, chances were that they would all be dead before long anyway. Why bother?  
  
"'No'?" Verdox mocked with a dramatic sigh. "Is that all you have, Legolas. All the fight that I am going to get out of you? A pathetic 'no'?"  
  
Silence was the only thing that answered him. Estel was still too absorbed within his thoughts to say anything; lost and confused and Legolas seemed to have just given up; no longer participating in Verdox's so called 'game'.  
  
"You see, you really brought this upon yourself," Verdox went on, seeing that he was not likely to get another response. "You and you little friend here. I send assassins, mercenaries - anyone and everyone that I could get my hands on - even the Order of Tercutkus but what happens? You just wouldn't die! You just waltzed right in and picked them off one by one while they were still trying to find you. So you see, I have learnt my lesson, I want a liability eliminated, I do it myself."  
  
Picked them off? Trying to hide the questions that flooded his mind, Legolas pressed his lips together in an attempt to decipher the true meaning of Verdox's words. He had only encountered the Order of Tercutkus, that was all he had had time to come across. Then what was all this about the others? He knew that there would be more, but he had not found any more, or been faced with anyone else out to claim the reward.  
  
For once he found that there was just too much all at once. He could hardly hear himself think, let alone have the clarity of mind to even contemplate thinking. He felt as if his head was about to implode. There was a thudding pressure in his ears and it felt as if there was a tiny dwarf in his head, chipping away at the section behind his eyes with a pickaxe. He wanted to yell, wanted to press his hands to the sides of his head and speed up the unavoidable explosion yet the hands on both he and Estel were more then enough to stop him from making any silly movement over such a trivial thing. He would just have to bear with it.  
  
Finally forcing his mind to stop thinking on the pain in his head, he focused all his thoughts on getting Estel out and finding an escape route.  
  
"Just let him go," Legolas once again demanded though with hardly as much vigor as before. Play the part of the submissive fool - let them think that they have won and pounce as soon as they grow too arrogant. That was one of the first things he had been taught; a survival strategy for any assassin that happened to get caught in the act. Play on their complacency and fake capitulation until the right moment. But what if he was not really playing at it anymore? "He means nothing to you."  
  
Verdox merely looked to the glaring young man, a small smile playing dangerously across his lips. "Oh I know," he started, his eyes once again searching out Legolas', "Nothing at all. But you see the fun is in the fact that he means something to you!"  
  
"Then you were obviously not standing by the door for any great length of time," Legolas replied coldly and with no emotion. Even his eyes seemed cold, frozen like the waters of the Bay of Forochel in the long, harsh winter.  
  
"Words, words, words. Who needs them?" Verdox asked a shrug and a sigh. "The way that you look at him - or the way that you refuse to look at him now - speaks more then the lies that you hide behind.  
  
"So," he exclaimed happily, "this is what is going to happen. You are going to be a good little Elf and do exactly as you are told or else Cardise here," he motioned to the man that stood behind Estel. Nodding his head, Cardise reached to his belt and pulled out his small dagger, positioning it over Estel's throat. "Might feel inclined to have a little fun of his own.  
  
"We are going to play a little game," Verdox went on, pacing back and forth before the Elf and with his hands folded behind his back. "Although you eluding the men that I sent after you was frustrating, it was slightly entertaining. So we are going to up the stakes, see just how good you really are. That is where your little human comes into it, and, well, this," he said, holding up a small vial that Legolas quickly identified as a poison flask. "Sound fun?"  
  
*****  
  
Something was not right.  
  
That was the first thought that came to Erestor's mind as he dressed for the day. He felt slightly dizzy, something that he was only familiar with due to Estel's occasional sickness and his stomach felt empty and yet he knew that if he were to eat anything he would find that he could not hold it down. The whether felt hotter then it should; something that, given both the position of the city within the waterfall dotted valley and the fact that he was an Elf he should never have picked up on.  
  
It was such a horrible feeling that he could not push it from his mind, even as he wandered through the halls in the direction of the gardens that he so loved.  
  
Deciding to take the back way and hopefully avoid everyone else - namely the twins who had returned late last night - Erestor quietly turned a corner in the halls only to find himself reaching out for the wall, seeking support as his balance was thrown. He had tripped over something and, looking down, he came eye to eye with one of the house guards who lay sprawled out on the floor, his eyes open as if he were in sleep. Cursing himself for not seeing the pale limb before he almost fell over it, Erestor moved around the Elf and knelt next to him, lightly tapping the other on the cheek.  
  
He was cold; stone cold.  
  
Brow knotting in confusion, Erestor lent closer, peering into the eyes. They were slightly glazy as was the way with all Elven eyes when asleep. But there was something else which worried him. The slightest tint of white covered the entire eye, as if a thin white cloud had fallen from the sky and landed in the Elf's eyes.  
  
The adviser was about to check the Elf's vitals when he saw something that made his blood run cold. Under the head, well hidden by the large spray of black hair was a small pool of dark liquid. He knew what it was even before he looked; could tell by the thick edges of the splash and the fact that even in the shadows it held a slight crimson tinge.  
  
Gently lifting the Elf's head, his suspicions were confirmed. Underneath the dark hair was mattered together with blood and the floor was stained red. The smallest feeling of panic crept over him as he beheld the dead Elf in his arms. Who would have been able to sneak up on an Elven guard and take him down, and more importantly, how did they do it and where were they now?  
  
Following the trail of blood up the Elf's throat, Erestor sort out the location of the death stroke. Had he not been so thorough, he would have missed the tiny hole in the Elf's head, just behind the lobe of his ear.  
  
A small pin or needle would have done it. Applied with enough force and pointing in a slightly upwards direction, it would have slipped through the soft skin and pierced the brain all before the Elf even knew what was happening.  
  
Lips purged, Erestor lay the Elf down and closed his eyes. He knew that it was disrespectful to leave him in the middle of the hallway, but at the moment he was a little more worried about where the killers were in Rivendell.  
  
Again he had that sickly feeling in his stomach; that moment in which pure fear rose within him and threatened to override his usually rational mind.  
  
"I beg forgiveness," he said to the dead guard as he stood to his feet and took the Elf's sword. After finding the dead Elf, he was convinced that he knew for certain what this nauseated feeling was. Ever since he had woken up that morning it had been playing at the back of his mind, telling him to admit to the fact that he did actually know what it was that he sort to work out. It was merely a higher degree of what he felt every time the Prince of Mirkwood came waltzing into the city unexpectedly.  
  
Legolas was back in Rivendell and wherever he was, he was in trouble.  
  
*****  
  
"You never told me why you are here," Legolas said quickly, stalling for time in desperate hope that he would come to some miraculous course of action.  
  
"Do not seek to stall for time, Legolas. It will prove to be fut-" Verdox was cut off by the creaking of the door, alerting all to a new presence in the room and, as all heads turned, all hell broke loose.  
  
It started with a head flying free from the body's shoulders and a spray of arterial blood. A choked scream and someone yelling out that there was another Elf in the room. Legolas could just see another man that had been standing by the door crumple in on himself and fall to the floor before a welcomed face appeared in the crowd.  
  
"Erestor!" both Legolas and Estel called out, letting the other know that they were in the room.  
  
Seeing the chance that he had been praying for since the moment Verdox walked in the door, Legolas braced his knees against the floor and made sure that his balance was perfect before he dived face first towards the floor, sending one of the two men sprawling.  
  
"Subdue him!" Verdox yelled as Legolas went to throw his second captor off his arm. Before he could, the hilt of the man's swords smashed down on the side of his head, pitching him forward and sending him crashing to the ground. Starting to panic, Legolas found that he could not see, his eyes seemed as if they had been covered with black cloth and yet bright flashes of white assaulted him. Already the other man was back on his feet and once again standing over the Elf, showing no signs of wounds or pains. A rough hand in his hair tugged him back to his knees and Legolas knew that he did not need his vision to confirm that the room was spinning at a dangerous speed. Unprepared for the attack, Legolas gasped out in pain and alarm when a solid boot smashed into his ribs, letting out a crack that even the human's could hear.  
  
Pain raced through his ribs and caused the strange white spots to flash before his eyes with a brighter intensity and at a quicker rate. His breath started to catch in his throat as he tried to breathe a little shallower but even that caused jolts of pain to spark deep within his chest.  
  
Unable to breathe properly or to see, Legolas experienced his first real taste of pure panic and fear. The pain and terror made his other senses unstable to the point that he could no longer tell if someone was ripping at his hair or if the sensation was just a manifestation of trepidation.  
  
A sudden, vicious tug to his hair took away all doubt about the men's positions and with his limited air, Legolas found himself gasping out yet again. As soon as his mouth opened, a thumb and index finger shoved their way between the joints of his jaw, locking his mouth open as a hand wrapped around his throat from behind, holding him frozen in place. The cool kiss of glass was the next thing that he felt and, with even more dread, he realized that it was the vial of poison that Verdox had been taunting him with only moments before.  
  
"Stop!" Verdox's voice resounded in Legolas' head. It was as if the man was right next to him, screaming at the top of his lungs directly into his ear although he was almost sure that Verdox was the one standing with the bottle...almost sure.  
  
"Erestor!" It was Estel who yelled to the other Elf, bringing his attention whirling around and to the predicament that Legolas was in.  
  
Blinking rapidly and repetitively, Legolas was able to slowly start to make out the forms of the men in the room. Light started to collect and darkness molded itself into shapes and figures and, thankfully after only a few moments, Legolas was about to see most of the proceedings around him in a shadowy cloak - as if he were watching a shadow puppet play.  
  
"Drop the sword or I give the little Elf here a nice long sleep with no hope of waking!" Verdox threatened with another vicious tug of Legolas hair and a warning tip of the bottle over his mouth.  
  
Four bodies lay on the floor, all killed with skill that only an Elf could possess and all covered in blood. Searching through the room almost painfully, Legolas found Erestor and sort out his eyes. The Elf was standing still, his sword grasped within his hand and his eyes locked onto Verdox, the bottle and Legolas' mouth. Legolas knew that the advisor was planning something - or at least trying to - and so he never once broke his gaze with Erestor, willing the older Elf to see deep into his soul and find the thoughts that Legolas so desperately wanted to scream. He could not surrender now! Surly Erestor knew that they would kill them all no matter what he did.  
  
Another warning tip of the vial and Erestor's sword clattered to the ground.  
  
Legolas wanted to scream! How could Erestor not see that he was their only chance of getting out of this mess?  
  
"Get the poison away!" Erestor snarled, his eyes narrowing as he glared Verdox down. Verdox complied with a false smile and a small bow. A single nod to Cardise saw the man walking towards Erestor, and grabbing his shoulder as if he were about to push him to the ground. Only instead, he turned the proud Elf to face him, his hand clamped so tightly against the others arm that he had no choice but to turn and look the other in the eyes.  
  
A single flash caught Legolas' attention, a small glimmer of light that did not quite fit into his shadowy view of the world. By the time he realized what it was, his cry was far too late, "NO!"  
  
The blade flicked out from behind Cardise's wrist and swung upwards between the two bodies, driving deep within the Elf's stomach. Everything but the crosspiece and hilt disappeared into the elf and from the moment that the blade breached the skin, a small river of blood spewed from the wound, covering the Elf's tunic and the human's hand.  
  
Erestor's eyes widened in shock and pain as his mouth fell open in a silent scream. With a deadly and skillful twist and another small up thrust, Cardise had Erestor standing on the tips of his toes, his back straight as the knife cut further and deeper into the Elf's midsection. A cruel tug saw the blade slip free and the Elf left to stand on his own two feet as Cardise stood back to admire his handiwork.  
  
Swaying slightly on the spot, Erestor tried to turn and face Legolas but never made it. His knees buckled and he crumpled to the ground, his hands folded protectively over the surging wound. Blood had slipped through and latticed his fingers before he even fell to his knees, his eyes looking out towards the back of the room although they appeared unseeing. Within another moment, he toppled backwards, landing on his back with a thud which caused his arms to fail out about him and his head to loll to the side.  
  
Legolas thought that he was frozen in shock and yet the brutal blows and tearing tugs at his hair told him otherwise. He could not break free of the strong grips of the men, not while his head throbbed and spun and his broken rib lacerated him deep within.  
  
"Silly Elf," Verdox spat at Erestor as he turned back towards Legolas who still struggled vainly with his captors. "Hold him tight!" he commanded his men as he handed the poison over to Cardise and reached down to wrench Legolas right arm up by the wrist. "You see, the thing about this poison is that it is nigh on harmless if ingested..." he explained while violently ripping the bandage off Legolas' cut hand. "But being adding straight to the bloodstream is another story entirely!" Once again he smiled as he snatched the bottle from his follower and, without even a second's hesitation, poured the entire content into the middle of the Elf's palm and into his cut.  
  
Legolas gasped out in agony as the poison mixed with his blood and seeped into the slowly healing cut. Hardly aware of Estel calling out for him, Legolas squeezed his eyes tightly shut as Verdox took his hand in his. With a sadistic smile, he fisted Legolas' hand, using the Elf's own nails to dig further into the cut flesh and thus allow the poison a more direct, fresh route into the Elf's system.  
  
"Burns, does it not?" Verdox hissed as he gave the Elf's hand once last forceful squeeze. Again Estel yelled out for the Elf, and this time Verdox did not ignore it. "Shut that human up!' he yelled. At his command one of the still living men sent a well aimed blow to the same side of Estel's temple as before, effectively knocking the human unconscious as his holders allowed him to fall to the floor.  
  
"I will kill you!" Legolas grit out as he heard Estel slump to the floor. A mixture of blood and poison ran down Legolas' arm, soaking into his sleeve as the prince clenched his teeth against the pain. It felt as if he had buried his hand in burning hot coals and left it there. Heat radiated off his hand as his skin bubbled and blistered to the point were he was almost certain that his hand was about to spontaneously combust.  
  
"Oh, I look forward to it!" Verdox smiled before dropping the Elf's arm and kicking him backwards to the floor.  
  
Legolas' first instinct was to curl in on himself. He cradled his scorching hand to his chest and tried to support his broken rib while concentrating on keeping his breathing steady to both slow the poison and stop the stabbing pain in his chest.  
  
"Take the human!" Verdox commanded. "He will be our ticket out of here and insurance against him if he keeps to his habit and does not die."  
  
Cardise pulled Estel from the floor as another man bound the young human's hands. Passing Estel off to another to carry, Cardise looked over at the blond that lay convulsing on the floor - a sure sign that the toxin was already starting to work.  
  
"He'll die!"  
  
They were the last words that Legolas heard before the door slammed closed. His body was plagued by violent shivers, each and every convulsion causing more and more pain to pierce his chest. Between his need to breathe shallow and his constantly chattering teeth, he felt his head become oxygen starved and dizzy while causing a sickly feeling to churn in his stomach.  
  
Forcing himself to stop with the self-evaluation, Legolas told himself over and over that he had to move, that he had to get to Erestor and get them both help. Their lives and Estel's relied on it. Now as not the time for him to give in, no matter how wretched he felt and so, with his resolve set, he started to slowly uncurl himself from his fetal position.  
  
Legolas crawled across the floor on his elbows while dragging his legs behind him. His joints were starting to freeze and even this small amount of movement made him think that it would be less painful to be decapitated then to keep his head attached to his shoulders.  
  
Reaching the dark-haired Elf, Legolas tugged on the others tunic with as much strength as he could possibly muster. Erestor did not stir. As it was, Legolas was half kneeling, half lying in a pool of the other's blood and more of the vital liquid oozed from the wound before Legolas' eyes.  
  
"Erestor...I need you to wake up," Legolas tried to say, his words sounding more like strange sobs and exhales of breath more so then a voice saying a formulated sentence. He kept prodding at his friend, careful to keep his poison covered arm as far away from the others wound as possible and yet Erestor still remained unresponsive. "Please. Please, I need you to... I can't...can't stay..."  
  
Legolas' voice slowly stopped as his body slackened and his eyes rolled back in his head. He collapsed with a soft thud, his head landing lightly upon the other Elf's arm and his upper body falling into the quickly spreading pool of blood that furiously gushed from Erestor.  
  
*****  
  
To be continued...  
  
Hehehe, and you all complained about the cliffhanger last chapter...  
  
Anyway, for the sake of keeping up a hint of suspense, I am not going to give you any previews either! *pokes out tongue before running for her life* Anyway, if you really want to kill me, take a number and get in line *points to the ever growing line of angry Elf fans*  
  
On other news, for any of you who have been reading 'Everything in Me' I have some good news. I am back working on that story and shall hopefully have a new chapter up in about two weeks - that is allowing time to have this story still updated weekly. If you are really desperate to know a bit about it, I have put up a small preview on my livejournal. Oh, that reminds me, if anyone here is interested, I also have a RPS Halloween story up on there that promises to be fun and a really short exclusive Elladan angst fic. Feel free to check them out or feel free not to - it is up to you. The link is on my bio page.  
  
*****  
  
Response to reviews: (again cutting them short though all are GREATLY appreciated and very much loved!)  
  
Eddie Uwnhai: LOL! The thing with my emotional places is that I don't like re-reading over them too much as I am likely the change the whole bloody thing so yes, I think you may be right about the 'pattern'. Sorry about this cliffhanger as well... and as always, thank you very much for your help!  
  
Iara: No, no, NOW things are getting interesting! Lol!  
  
3nvy: Icky, who wants fluffy love crap when you can hurt them greatly! Lol. Glad you are enjoying it!  
  
Angelchil32: thank you very much for your review! And yes, I try to keep my slash stories a little different as I hate the effeminate Legolas and the 'I love you' line appearing at least three times a chapter. That is not me at all! Lol.  
  
Rabbit of Iron: Smart-arse Legolas in TTT ROCKED!!!!!!! He was so great and yes, the bit where he completely showed up Arafuck was great! Oh, and the bit where he has a go at Arafuck about the hobbits growing wings was bloody brilliant. And in FotR when he runs off to find the sun... classic!  
  
Keithan: Ok, I shall admit something...i really don't know where to start with your review...I mean, are you aware that it is over two pages long? LOL. Not that that is a bad thing - it is a GREAT thing - but I just means that I feel a little daunted and unsure of where to begin, especially while trying to be short. So let me see what I can do...  
  
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, seems to be as good a place as any to start. I received this after a shitty day and in the middle of exams so you really brightened my mood! So thank you! The plot. Lol, well, it just gives you a taste of the weird crap that goes on in my head... Oh, may I ask what fandom it is that you are talking about? With the assassins? I have never read anything with assassins so I am making this up as I go along - lol, scary thought! Oh, I know what you mean about running out of adjectives...I sadly do it all the time. I LIKE LEGOLAS WHEN HE KICKS ARSE! Lol. so yes, action and making him slightly high and mighty is always top of the 'to happen' list. Oh, the split personality - that was not planned, but it sorta just happened and I went with it. it will prove to be interesting later on... Oh, my Aragorns' are always awkward, partly because I don't like him at all and partly due to the fact that I hate him I try to alter him slightly. Bad move really... so yes, I do rely greatly on the 'this is Aragorn when he was a child' tactic, which is flawed to say the least, but we all change. And no offence taken! Lol, I love the word 'yield' - I have this strange obsession with it so I was overly happy to get it into the fic! 'Blood lust and physical desire' - I really like that! Have you ever thought of writing blurbs or something? Lol. ok, now I am really stuck. *blushes greatly* once again, thank you for all that you have said. You said that you did not want to say too much for fear of leaving something out, now I don't want to say too much due to the fear that I shall never be able to tell you how much what you said meant to me. Oh, I always have flaws. No matter how many times I read it I shall always leave behind a whole bunch of mistakes. I think it is because I wrote it, so I know what it is meant to say and thus I just repeat it in my head instead of really reading the words. It is an evil habit that I am trying desperately to break out of. To quote movie Aragorn, 'There is nothing to forgive.' As I said, it lifted my mood (it even did so now for the second time) and it is wonderful to have a review of such length every now and then. So once again, thank you so much - you truly touched my heart!  
  
leggylover: Very long... oh, Estel now knows though he hardly had time to take it all in. That will happen later...fun fun fun!  
  
StellaPen: Hello! Thank you so much for leaving your thoughts - I live for them...I know it sounds cliché, but I really do! Legolas as a ruthless killer is kind fun, hey? And overly sexy - but that could just be me strange thoughts... Hope you are still enjoying it!  
  
Ivorybrowneyes: yeah, you do kinda feel bad for Estel - and then other times you feel bad for Legolas...it is kinda confusing! Back off from my Haldir!!!! You can have the original Elladan and that is my final offer! LOL!  
  
Ihni: Ok, I am going to be short with you - sorry, - but you can get anything and everything answered over MSN... Yes, Elves sleep with their eyes open - I love that. I think it is so cool... tried to do it but my eyes got really dry and hurt like hell... Oh, another keeper line, hey? How many does that make it now? You recognized it from somewhere...let me think...the only think that I can think of was something that I wrote AGES ago - 'Restoring Hope' I think it was called (you know my memory) and Legolas was all iffy about Galadriel's 'death' message...is that it? Oh, Legolas is not the weak one! They just all have their moments, but I will go into that better with you next time I talk to you. I have always wondered about aliens being in love... as it stands, I am using the excuse of there being a lot of men and Estel being in a bit of a daze (you know how you are when you have an argument - you are either blinded by hatred and rage or utterly withdrawn into yourself) he also wasn't armed, so I am saying that he kinda walked around the corner and 'FUCK' gets a sword smashed into his head... LMAO! You are like me in the way that you think things through on paper - well, screen - instead of deleting, you just keep going... talk to you soon (or be talking to you when you read this...)  
  
CareLess: Well, once again the product was well worth the wait (I say this while slowly shaking off the last of my violent withdrawl spasms). You are truly evil! The screws turn tighter and the anxiety level increases as the plot takes yet another unexpected turn. Our stoic Prince is really coming apart at the seams. I fear that I know the ultimate outcome of this tale, but just like Legolas, I cannot stop myself from wanting more of the torture. It is delicious and I say bring it on! My compliments to the Mistress of Darkness and Torture!  
  
Analia: sorry about the wait last week, but I am back on track! Lol, lets just say that Aragorn is not all that observant and that he was otherwise preoccupied elsewhere... ;) and you can wait to find out where the marks came from - that happens way near the end... ;) *beats Legolas away from Aragorn* neither do I, but do you seriously think that these characters listen to me??? Lol, maybe I a not as subtle in my Aragorn hating as I say that I try to be...maybe it rubs off or something... humm...Elf sex... *falls off her chair lauging* You think that last chapter was the worst place that I could have possible ended it? HA!  
  
Silvertoekee: cute? *ponders how it is that anyone could call anything that I write 'cute'* LOL! Yeah, I wanted him to run but the muses had other ideas... more cliffhangers are on their way LOL. Only one more exam to go and then I never have to go back to that evil, evil place! YAY!!! *starts counting down to what Kill Bill comes on dvd...* I could be here for awhile...LOL. Once again, thank you for your review!  
  
Exrated: I am glad that you like the way I write them - takes a fair bit of stress off my shoulders. But yes, Legolas is a bit of a jerk, but he will eventually get better...or maybe not. Lol, you hate me for the ending of last chapter? What about this one? Should I build myself a bomb shelter and hide?? Oh, 'Queen of Suspense' I like that! 'Queen of Sadism and Suspense' - has a nice ring to it, don't you think? ;) Nine chapters and yes, am going for a record! And don't worry, this story keeps me awake at night (or day as I sleep better during the day) so I am in a bit of a rush to finish it so I can be left in peace! Lol. *jumps up and down excitedly* Legolas torture is here and more is coming, trust me, more is coming! Thank you and bye bye!  
  
*****  
  
And I am finally done! ...and I just broke a nail...damnit!  
  
Thank you to everyone that reviewed but I shall leave you until next time.  
  
Minka 


End file.
